Chase stumbled over the same thought. "I thought demons were banned from Otherworld."
"They are, for the most part. Oh, we have some gremlins, imps, a bunch of lesser vampires and the like, but nothing on the order of what it would take to produce this strong of an aura." I stared at the murder weapon. "I hate to even give voice to the thought, but there's a chance that a demon has made its way up from the Subterranean Realms and slipped through a portal."
"That's not supposed to happen." Chase sounded so plaintive I almost felt sorry for him.
"You're right, it's not." When we'd accepted our post, the OIA had guaranteed that demons from the Sub Realms couldn't get through. All the reports said that throughout the hundreds of years they'd been watching the portals, not a single demon or ghoul from down under had made it topside. But then again, the OIA promises a lot of things they never follow through on. Humans have nothing on the Sidhe when it comes to bureaucracy.
He tried again, skirting to find another angle. "You're positive your inner… magic… ticker just isn't off?"
"Inner magic ticker? Oh please, you can do better than that. Chase, you asked me, and I told you. This rope belongs to one of the Demonkin. You can believe me or not as you choose."
"Okay, okay," Chase said with a grimace. "I just don't like the sound of that. What should I do about the OIA? Tell them about the rope and what you sense off of it?"
"Yeah, give it a try." I snorted. "See if that kick-starts their butts. I advise contacting them again as soon as possible."
The Wizards Guild, the IT workers of Otherworld, had set up a communications network for OIA's Earthside contingent. Trouble was, when headquarters didn't want to take a call, they just ignored the message. Of course, when they needed to contact us, we'd be in deep shit if we didn't answer.
Chase glanced around. "Are you sure it's safe to talk here? I can just imagine what would happen if the papers got hold of the news that a demon's running around. It's dicey enough with you Faerie folk and the like."
I didn't bother to remind him that I was half-human and had as much right to be on Earth as I did to be in Otherworld. "You're like a fussy old mother hen, Chase. Chill. I just warded the store against snooping yesterday. We should be safe enough."
"Uh-huh, sure you did. You positive you didn't turn the place into a bullhorn by mistake?" He laughed so loud it turned into a snort.
"Excuse me?" I leaned across the table and flicked his nose. "It was bad enough back home, but now I should put up with this crap from an FBH? I don't think so! I happen to be magically challenged. You have a problem with that?"
"Magically challenged, so that's how you're describing it now? Hey, far be it from me to give you grief, but I'm not the one who ended up nekkid for the whole world to see," he said, grinning as his gaze ran up and down my body.
"Get your mind off my naked body, Johnson. While you're at it, let's see you try your hand at a little magic," I said curtly. "Care to show me what you've got, Superman?"
That shut him up. One thing I'd discovered since we arrived in Belles-Faire, a seedy suburb city of Seattle, was that Chase craved power. He couldn't wield magic himself, so he did the next best thing when he found out about the OIA. He went to work for them. Sometimes I thought he actually enjoyed it when my spells backfired.
He held up his hands to ward me off. "Sorry! I didn't mean to strike a sore spot. Truce?"
I let out a long sigh. Tactless or not, he had a point. And with the pall on that rope, we had bigger fish to worry about than my ego.
"Yeah, yeah. Truce. As to my warding, don't have a hissy fit. To back up my magic, Delilah installed an electronic surveillance system. She has a knack for your technology, and she rewired.it to pick up on any bugs or other listening devices that may have been planted around here."
I didn't tell him that she'd also blown a fuse and sparked herself a good one. The resulting flash of electricity threw her across the room. But Delilah was no quitter. Eventually she'd figured it out and got it working.
"Good girl. I knew you wouldn't let us down."
"Girl?" I gave him a long look. "Chase, I'm old enough to be your mother."
He blinked. "I tend to forget that. You don't look it."
"I'd better not look it," I said, raising an eyebrow. I was damned proud of my looks and took pains to accentuate the positive. One perk about living Earthside: the makeup was fantastic. For one thing, it didn't stain like cosmetics made from herbs and berries. Back in Otherworld, I'd spent longer than I'd ever planned to looking like a Pict when I tried out some face paint made out of woad. Never again. When I returned home, I'd be carting a butt load of M.A.C cosmetics with me, especially tubes of Verushka lipstick and tubs of Soft Brown eye shadow. I nurtured my little vanities.
Chase coughed, and I saw the glimmer of a smile behind his eyes. "All right," he said. "Here's how it went down. This morning I took a call from one of the homeless guys who live in the alley around back of the Wayfarer. He found Jocko's body. The dude's been one of my informants in the past and was scrounging for a few bucks. So I got there first, which was a good thing, considering Jocko wasn't looking all too pretty. Of course, I immediately activated the FH-CSI."
I stifled a smile. The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigations team was Chase's brainchild and was a mix of human and Otherworld agents, specially trained to deal with the problem of crimes against OW citizens. Chase had initiative and foresight, I had to give him that. It was unfortunate that he had to answer to Devins, a real prick who was a few offices higher up than Chase, but usually he was able to keep his boss out of the loop.
"We're using an OIA medical examiner, and all the info has been sealed."
I slumped. Suddenly it all seemed too real. The thought of Jocko meeting his end in a back alley made me cringe. He may not have been the brightest bulb in the socket, but he made up for it in congeniality, and I'd genuinely liked the gentle giant.
"Jocko was one of the most even-tempered giants I've ever met. That's why he got the job, you know. He could interact with others without pounding mem into the ground when he got irritable. He was a good-hearted man who did his best. I'll miss him."
"He wasn't a man," Chase said, wrinkling his nose. "He was a giant. And he was crude, loutish, and made fun of my suits."
"As you said, he was a giant. Giants are like that, only most are much worse. What do you expect?"
Chase gave me an exasperated look. "I have no idea. I don't know any other giants. I never met a vampire or a lycanthrope either, until I met your sisters, so give me a break if I don't react with much enthusiasm. Giants and bloodsuckers and werewolves—"
"Werecat. Lycanthrope means werewolf. It's not synonymous with Were. Delilah would scratch your eyes out if she heard you lumping her with the Canids."
"Right, werecat. What was I thinking? Sorry," he said, his voice anything but. "Section five of the handbook. Not all Weres are the same!"
"Damned straight they aren't, and don't you forget it. Some of them would slit your throat for even suggesting it." I was giving him a hard time, but better that than let Chase learn the hard way. The point of a sword or fang was a whole lot sharper than my tongue.
"Whatever. What I'm trying to say is that all of you were simply tales of myth and legend until a few years ago, when you crawled out of the woodwork. Even you—you're a witch. And half-Faerie at that. I'm still wrapping my mind around all this."
"Point taken," I said, grinning. "I guess we do come as quite a shock, especially when you've been taught your whole life that we don't exist. Okay, back to business. Tell me more about Jocko's death."
"Well, other than the fact that the killer had to be at least as big and as strong as he was, there's not much to tell. Nothing in the bar to give us any idea what happened. Nothing in the portal log to indicate that somebody new came through last night. Basically, it boils down to the fact that the Wayfarer is out one bartender, and HQ wants you to take care of it."
The Wayfarer Bar & Grill, like the Indigo Crescent, was OIA run and operated, and part of a worldwide network of safe houses and portals. The bar was also a hub for FBHs who wanted to meet the Fae. And there were plenty of admirers who lined up for a chance to see, or talk to, or screw us. The crowds were thick and the partying hard.
My sister Menolly worked night shift at the bar. She listened for gossip and rumors that might be important among the travelers who came through from Otherworld. Having her there was a good way to spot potential trouble, since the grapevine always ran faster than official channels. It was also one of the few night jobs she could find, and she was strong enough to stand in for the bouncer if need be.
Chase pulled out a pack of cigarettes but stuffed them back in his pocket when I shook my head. Cigarette smoke raised havoc with my lungs and was even worse for Delilah. Menolly didn't care anymore. She was dead. Well, undead. The only things she could smell were blood, fear, and pheromones.
I glanced at the clock. "I can't wake Menolly until dark. Delilah's out on a case and won't be back until late afternoon. Why don't you meet me here at six, and we'll go back to the house? That way you'll have had a chance to contact HQ again. And by then the sun will be set."
"Can't you wake Menolly up now since it's overcast?" Chase said.
"Chase, get a grip. Vampires and daylight just do not mix. Besides, it's rough on her to be locked in the house all day. Better for her to sleep as much as she can; it keeps her from getting claustrophobia. Menolly hasn't been a vampire very long, not by our standards. She's still learning to adjust, and we're making it as easy as we can on her. I'm doing my best to help her, but it's rough going at times. In fact, I'm working on a surprise that she'll probably hate me for, but it will be good for her."
"I see your point," Chase said, musing. "All right, I'll try to raise HQ again and tell them what you said about the rope. But if I were Menolly, I'd call in sick tonight. If there is a demon behind this, he might be after OIA agents. And if he had inside help, then he might know that Menolly is an operative."
An inside job? That thought hadn't crossed my mind. "Great, that's all I need to think about," I said, grinning. "Okay, see you tonight."
Chase headed for the door. As I watched him leave, a shadow seemed to pass through the shop, and I reached out to touch it, but it shuddered and dissipated into the gloomy day. Jocko's murder had set in motion dangerous events to come. I could feel it on the wind, though any clear picture eluded my sight. I went back to my work, trying to muster up a smile for the Faerie Watchers who would be here in full force in less than an hour.
CHAPTER 2
After I finished shelving the box of books, I grabbed the phone and punched in Delilah's cell number. I wasn't sure what case she was working on, but no matter. Jocko's death was more important. That rope smelled like demon, and I knew my nose wasn't playing tricks on me. But it left me wondering: Just what sort of creature had managed to sneak through? And why was it here?
Delilah picked up on the second ring. I told her what had happened.
"Get your butt back here by six. And whatever you do, don't go near the Wayfarer until we know what we're dealing with."
"Poor Jocko, he was a sweetheart," she said. "Do you think he was killed because he was an OIA agent?"
"I hope not," I said. "But on the off chance, we're keeping Menolly home tonight. As good of a guy as Jocko was, he was also dumb as a fence post, and he might have let it slip that both of them are from the agency. Make no mistake about it, there's trouble on the way. And we're standing right in its path."
"You thinking the Subterranean Realms?" Her voice begged me to say no. Delilah was an optimist, always wanting things to turn out with a happy ending. How she managed to stay in the OIA and retain her naivety, I had no idea, but somehow she always pulled through with a smile.
I squinted, mulling over the growing sense of dread in my chest. My powers came from the wind and the stars and the moon and, while I couldn't always foresee the future, I could sense when great beings awoke. And if a secret was whispered to the wind during the night of the full moon, I might be able to catch it if I listened hard enough.
"I don't know for certain, but something's stirring."
Delilah squeaked. "I have to go! I'm on a photo assignment, and my target just came out of the school."
I groaned. "You're taking pictures of a child? What have you gotten yourself involved with now?"
"No, goose. I'm photographing a teacher. Her husband thinks she's messing around on the side and wants me to follow her. She's supposed to be in a meeting during lunchtime, but she's headed to her car right now. I'll see you tonight!" With a happy laugh, she hung up.
So, who am I? Well, my name is Camille D'Artigo, and I'm a witch. I'm half-Faerie, and half-human. I suppose a little background is in order. The oldest of three, I was born in Otherworld. Of course, we have our own name for our land, but it's just easier to call it OW while we're Earthside. Most people on Earth thought "Faerie Land" was a myth until we snuck up behind them and yelled "Boo!" And when we came out of the broom closet, we came all the way.