Grave Witch, page 11
Jacob nodded. "I feel a bit ill knowing I helped keep the place afloat."
Gilbert shook his head. "Nah, how were you to know? And I don't think the drinks you bought made much difference. The money came from elsewhere."
Alice took a sip of beer. "I'll go mingle for a bit." She gave Gilbert a look. "What about you?"
"I'm all set."
She nodded and disappeared. To feed? Kage suspected so.
* * * *
Chapter 14
Gilbert looked around. Nothing stood out, nothing hinting at there being anything amiss, but how could they know for sure? "I think we should come back on Saturday. It's way too calm here tonight."
"You don't think they're bringing in customers on weekdays?" Kage gave him a searching look.
"They might, maybe they take reservations, but it doesn't look like anyone is working the floor." He made a circling gesture with his finger.
Kage slumped in his chair. "Fuck."
Jacob looked between them. "Were you hoping there would be slaves here?" Confusion formed on his face.
"No." Gilbert bumped his shoulder with his. "Of course not."
Jacob kept looking at Kage. "You did. You hoped there would be slaves here, why?"
Kage sighed and looked first at Gilbert, then at Jacob. For a second, Gilbert believed he'd deflect, but then he leaned forward and spoke as low as the music allowed.
"I'm looking for an unregistered magic user, her name is Pomona October, and all I've managed to find out is that she became a blood slave. If there had been slaves here, it might have given me a clue about what happened to her."
Jacob's eyes widened, and his hands moved toward his pocket only to stop and rest on the table again. "Damn, I wish I had pen and paper."
"Why?" Kage looked confused.
"Believe it or not, but I'm pretty good at investigating things." Jacob huffed.
"She might go under a different name, and I'm pretty sure she's dead."
"Doesn't mean we shouldn't look for her. Her family deserves closure."
Something flashed in Kage's eyes. Did he know her family? Maybe it was the reason he'd become a detective, so he could look for her.
"She was in Myrfolk, kept at The Virgin Drop, before Gertrude took over. The last time anyone saw her was early twenty-twenty-two. Gertrude took over in the fall, and she wasn't there. They found four supernatural blood slaves, and she wasn't one of them."
Jacob's hand twitched again as if he wanted to write something. "Can I...eh write the story?"
Kage grimaced. "Not until we've found out what's happened to her. I don't want to alert anyone."
Jacob nodded, looking pleased, and Gilbert leaned back in his chair. If nothing else, this night had given Jacob something. He cast around for Alice, but didn't see her anywhere. It made him sit up straighter and look around more intently. "Where is Alice?" He scanned the tables.
"Maybe she found someone to feed from." Jacob didn't look concerned.
Gilbert nodded. It was the most logical explanation, but wouldn't she have signaled to them if she had?
Right as he was about to stand, Kage made a low sound. Gilbert took in his stiff posture and followed his gaze toward the entrance, where a tall man with pale skin, honey-blond hair, and a neat red beard stared right at them.
"Who is he?" Gilbert spoke low so the man wouldn't hear him.
"Don't remember his name, but a vampire from Oakmouth. I think he's a good guy, or I believed so until now at least."
Jacob turned to look at the man and let out a low moan.
"Do you know him?" Gilbert nudged him with his elbow.
"Never seen him before, but damn, he's fine."
Gilbert huffed.
Kage didn't take his eyes off the man as he spoke. "I think he's friends, or at least friendly with Jinx. When Christopherson and I went with Jinx to fetch his daughter, he was the one who met us at the gate, and I think he warned Jinx about a trap."
Gilbert relaxed a fraction. "He went against Czar's orders?" Czar was insane. Gilbert never could've stayed in Oakmouth. Who wanted a leader who kidnapped your kid to blackmail you into doing things like he'd done with Jinx?
"I think so."
Jacob made a frustrated sound as the man went to the bar and turned his back to them. "I didn't understand half of what you said."
Gilbert gave Kage a look, which was met with a shrug, so he leaned closer to Jacob. "You know about the community in Oakmouth?"
Jacob grimaced. "Not really. I've heard there is a community in Oakmouth, but that's about it."
Gilbert nodded. "They're more vampire-heavy than the Myrfolk community."
Jacob stared at him. "Vampire-heavy as in?"
"As in far more of their inhabitants are vampires. I don't know how many, but in Myrfolk, there are ninety-six inhabitants, and only seven of us are vampires. I don't think their numbers are reversed, but they have far more vampires, and their leader is a vampire."
"Okay, makes sense vampires want to have a vampire leader." His tone was unsure despite his words.
"Maybe, but Czar is insane. A psychopath, and everyone knows dealing with Oakmouth is...dangerous."
"And yet Gertrude did it?" Kage was frowning. Ah, maybe he didn't know much about Oakmouth either.
"We were starving. Jinx offered to pay us in meat for driving a few trucks every week. It was a good deal. One he struck because he wanted out of Oakmouth."
Kage nodded. "And Czar punished him by abducting his daughter."
Gilbert shrugged. He wasn't sure in which order things had happened.
"Holy fuck." Jacob's eyes were wide as saucers.
Gilbert grinned. "Yeah, it's a tale someone else should tell you. I don't know the details."
Jacob nodded as if he wanted someone else to tell him the story.
* * * *
Kage looked at the vampire. He leaned against the bar, exchanged a few words with the bartender, but mostly focused on his drink.
"Do you think this means Oakmouth is involved?" Kage looked at Jacob, then at Gilbert.
Gilbert rubbed his neck. "I don't know."
Leaning forward, Kage lowered his voice. "The owner's name is Elijah Nuthall, and according to the information I could find, he's human with no links to Oakmouth."
"And The Red Thirst?"
Kage huffed. "They don't announce who is part of The Red Thirst and who isn't. I can find the name, but no members list."
"The what?" Jacob's expression was comical, so Kage grinned.
"The ones who owned The Virgin Drop before Gertrude bought it."
Jacob heaved a loud sigh. "My head is spinning with all this information. I believed we were heading out for a beer and to check this place out. Now I feel like I've been dropped into a spy novel or something."
Maybe Kage had been unfair. He kinda liked Jacob now when he was ogling the vampire at the bar instead of Gilbert.
"I'm gonna go talk to him." Kage got to his feet, but before he could move away, Gilbert's hand curled around his wrist. It made him shiver.
"Be careful."
"I think he's a good guy."
"Be careful." He spoke slower and with more emphasis this time. "And don't walk away with him. Keep to where we can see you."
"I'm not offering him a meal. I only want to chat." Fuck, what if he made him bleed? Then his cover would be blown.
Kage nodded and walked toward the bar with his bottle in hand. He still had about half of it left. He wasn't much of a beer drinker.
Before he reached the bar, the man turned. He nodded as if he wasn't surprised Kage was coming to him. Kage motioned to a table, not wanting the bartender to hear their every word.
The man pushed away from the bar. One hand curled around a tall glass with what looked like Coke. Rum and Coke, perhaps.
"Detective." He spoke low and pulled out a chair.
"Kage is fine tonight."
He nodded. "Leonard."
Leonard. He did his best to memorize the name, so he could ask Jinx about him later. If he ever was allowed into the community again. Otherwise Christopherson might be able to ask for him.
"Come here often?"
"Am I accused of something?" His tone was a bit sharp, but he mostly looked worried.
"I'm not working tonight, and you're not in my jurisdiction." Kage leaned closer. "So, do you come here often?"
Leonard shrugged. "If needs must." Which Kage translated into if he needed to feed.
"But you don't work here?"
"Work?" Leonard looked surprised. "We don't own this place."
Kage believed the reaction was genuine. "No?"
"No, we do meat, we've never had any clubs or restaurants."
As far as Kage knew, he was telling the truth. Leonard studied him for several seconds. "You said you weren't working."
Kage shrugged.
Leonard scanned the room before speaking in a low voice. "The magic user isn't here."
Ice shot through him. "Who?"
Leonard shook his head. "Are you here alone, without your work partner?"
"Christopherson didn't think it would be believable if he and Jasper came here, so I brought Gilbert and Alice. Who did you mean when you said magic user?"
"I don't know Gilbert and Alice, sorry."
"They're Myrfolk vampires who don't have partners. The magic user?" Did he know something?
Leonard smiled, and it was a nice smile. "I only meant one of the Myrfolk magic users, but they wouldn't come here, would they? You're here for Gertrude, not the human police then."
Was it good or bad if he believed he was here on Gertrude's command? "Has this been open for long? We first heard of it today."
"A few months."
"Really?"
Leonard shrugged. "You have other clubs in Myrfolk. I'm not surprised word hasn't reached you."
"Or maybe they didn't want word to reach Myrfolk." Before Leonard could say anything else, Kage leaned closer still. "Who owns this place?"
"Some human."
"Not The Red Thirst?"
Leonard looked surprised. "I've never heard the name before."
"They ran a blood bar in Myrfolk years ago. Do you know if there are slaves here now?"
Leonard looked around as if searching for blood slaves. "Look, I've only been here a few times, and I don't stick around. I've never seen anything weird, but I haven't been looking either."
Kage dug into his pocket and found a card with his number which he slid across the table to Leonard. "If you see or hear something, will you please let me know."
Leonard hesitated for several seconds before reaching for the card. "What will I get if I help you?"
Did he mean he knew something? "I don't know if I have anything to give."
Leonard smiled with fangs. "There is always something you can give."
"Nope. You won't get any blood from me."
"Fair enough. How about a place within the walls?"
Kage was aware his eyes widened. "Within the walls? I don't have any sway there."
"But you could put in a word for me. Gertrude might listen to you." There was desperation in his eyes.
"Are you in danger?"
Leonard snorted and leaned back in his chair. "Everyone's in danger."
"I'm not Gertrude's favorite person."
Before either of them could say anything else, there was a scream followed by several crashes. Gilbert disappeared through a swing door, and Kage flew to his feet. He reached for the gun that wasn't there--damn, why hadn't he brought his gun? Because he wasn't working.
Jacob was staring open-mouthed in the direction Gilbert had disappeared. There were more loud sounds, and Kage turned to Leonard. He looked ready to attack, hands at the ready and fangs on display, but he remained by the table.
"Protect Jacob." Kage grabbed his upper arm and gestured at Jacob. "Don't bite him, Gilbert has already fed from him today." An hour or so ago, he wouldn't have cared what happened to Jacob, but now he felt obliged to keep him safe.
Leonard moved toward Jacob without a word, and Kage hurried toward the sounds that kept coming. Crash after crash, hisses and grunts, as if someone was fighting.
* * * *
Chapter 15
At the same moment Gilbert burst through the door to the kitchen, Alice stabbed a shifter with a knife, only to have him roar and slice his claws over her chest. Gilbert rushed farther into the kitchen and pulled him off her, but more people were there.
Pans and pots hit the floor, a shelf with bowls and stuff toppled over with a loud bang, but Gilbert was too busy guarding himself from the shifter's, bear he believed, claws. He had no idea why they were fighting, but Alice was hurt, so he had to keep him at bay.
"Alice!" He called over the tumult, and she jumped back from a vampire trying to grab her, her shoulder brushing Gilbert's back. "What happened?"
A snarl sounded from his left, then teeth sank into his shoulder. Not vampire teeth. Gilbert grabbed the shifter, a man a little smaller than the one who still tried to get him with his claws. Wolf, most likely. Gilbert grabbed for his larynx and tore. He hated killing people, but there was no way for them to get out of here.
"Gilbert!" A call came from the door he'd come through, and he turned. He never should have. Long, sharp claws buried themselves in his belly, and the air left his lungs. For an eternity, all he could do was look into Kage's wide eyes and pale face. So beautiful.
Then Alice screeched and lunged herself at the bear. She jumped him and locked an arm around his throat before sinking her fangs into the skin below his jaw. Good. She needed to feed so she could get Kage and Jacob out of here.
He stumbled as he tried to find his balance. Someone crashed into him, and he stumbled again.
Alice roared, then there was a cracking sound as she twisted the bear's head farther than any head should be twisted. It was too soon. She needed to feed more.
Gilbert's vision narrowed more and more, black creeping in from the edges, and a distorted buzz built in his ears.
Someone called his name, but he wasn't sure who.
"Gil!" A wet hand touched his cheek. "Stay with me, buddy." Alice. "Kage! Feed him!"
Then she was gone, and another crash followed. Someone slammed into the counter next to him, then something hissed as it landed on the stove.
Gilbert fell. He was aware of it but couldn't do anything to stop it. He wasn't sure where he was injured. Everything hurt. Old injuries melted with the present ones in his head, and he could almost see the mob of humans who must've stepped through time to get to him.
"Gil." Someone slapped his cheek, and he forced his eyes open. Dark hair fell like a curtain around him, and worried eyes looked into his. "Hey, are you with me?"
He blinked once for yes, not sure his voice would carry.
"I'll fix you." Then she turned. "Kage, get your ass over here! He's bleeding out."
Bleeding out? Was she sure? He tried to find it in himself to be upset, but he'd lived for a long time, and most of it hadn't been great. He spent most days hiding and hungry. Maybe it was best to let go now before it got any worse. He'd had a few good years in the community.
"Gilbert?" Alice was back to looking at him, her lips pressed together and her eyes burning.
"Water--" There was a gurgle when he tried to speak, and he tasted blood.
"Relax. I'll get you something. Just take it easy."
He tried shaking his head, but he didn't have the energy. "Water the..." Liquid dribbled down his cheek. "Peas."
Her eyes widened in confusion. "Peas? Never mind, don't try to talk. Kage!"
"Dov."
"What?" Her grip on his hand hurt, and he welcomed it. She was clutching him so hard, he hardly felt the rest of his body. He was cold, so cold.
"Dov."
"He's not here."
"Water."
She sighed. "Dov doesn't need to water your goddamned peas, you'll water your stupid peas yourself, you hear me?" Then she looked around. "For fuck's sake, Kage. Get your ass over here."
* * * *
Kage stood frozen. There was an ever-growing pool of blood around Gilbert, and it was his fault. Gilbert had been holding his own in the fight against the two shifters, and Alice against the vampire. Then Kage had lost his head and called his name. How stupid could he get?
Gilbert had looked at him, it hadn't been for more than a second, but it had been enough to leave himself open, and the guy had buried his wicked, long claws in Gilbert's belly and kept them there for several excruciating moments until Alice understood what was happening.
She'd dealt with it, and Kage had stood unmoving. He didn't think he'd ever frozen on the job before. Violent situations happened, and he dealt with them when they did, but now he couldn't move.
"For fuck's sake, Kage!" Alice was furious, but he couldn't feed Gilbert. They'd know what he was if he did. He'd never fed a vampire.
She turned long enough to glare at him. "Get your ass over here or I'll come and get you." Her fangs were visible. Adrenaline perhaps. She'd fed from the shifter. He'd watched as she'd taken swallow after swallow before breaking his neck. But maybe it hadn't been enough.
Cold seeped through him. Fuck.
When she made to stand, his feet finally came loose from the floor, and he moved closer. She snarled at him, most likely for being slow.
"I don't feed--"
"I don't give a damn, give him your arm before it's too late."
"No, I--"
She grabbed him so fast he jerked back, but it did no good since she was holding onto him. He had nothing compared to vampire strength. "You will feed him. I don't care if this is the first and only time. He's dying because of you, so you better fix it, or you'll be dying because of me. Got it?"
A rattling breath left Gilbert, and he winced. Fuck.
Alice shook him. "Are we clear?"
Kage nodded. Fine. Okay. He could do this. "You can't tell anyone."
