Five for Silver (Black Crow Chronicles Book 5), page 8
"You're telling me," I said, keeping my eyes on the woman who gave me life.
"I just came to tell you that your sister would like to see you. And Colvin, of course." She had dropped her arms when it became apparent I wasn't going to hug a wavering figure that no one else could see in the middle of one of the busiest airports in the whole of the country.
"Of course," I replied. "Any reason, in particular?"
She shrugged her slight shoulders and looked away. It was the most obvious lie I had ever seen. And I thought about calling her out on it, but things were awkward enough between us, and this new 'visiting me in some ethereal way' was wigging me out.
"Is that it?" I asked her.
She looked disappointed but nodded and vanished.
"Thank God," I said, stuffing my phone back in my pocket.
"What did she want?" Nick asked, grabbing the handle on my suitcase, and letting Zander take the lead as we weaved through the human traffic.
"Apparently, my sister wants to see us. Colvin and I."
Nick hummed, but let it drop. The fact that she was in contact with Slate in Nevermore raised some peculiar questions, but I knew that Crow could take us there as he had done before. So that was a doable task. I was sure that Colvin wouldn't say no to a visit with the sister he had practically raised on his own and let go long before he was ready to.
We walked past the flashing lights and the tinkling sound of the slot machines near the exit of the airport and out into the Nevada heat. It felt like I was back in the desert, but thankfully no dust storms threatened in the distance. Instead, the streets were lined with flashing lights as taxis moved in and out of parking spaces to take their turn at the curb. Passengers were milling about waiting for their rides, but ours was obvious. A tactical green coloured hummer sat at the curb—a man with a cardboard sign that simply read "Selena' in bold black marker.
When his eyes landed on Zander, he waved, and we made our way to the oversized vehicle.
The trunk was swung open, and our stuff was piled in the back before we were swept away from the airport.
I couldn't keep my eyes off the lights of Vegas. The air was electric with a sense of freedom and extravagance. It was a place for people with money to burn. For a moment, I wanted the kind of life where people could go away on vacation and blow money for fun.
Thankfully, the vehicle steered us out of the city, and toward the dark, empty desert before I could long for a life I didn't have. I had already been through this. I was doing important work. Someday it would settle down, and I would take that vacation. Lord knew my bank account wasn't hurting. The DPI paid me and paid all my expenses. I could easily afford a vacation and the thought of going away for a week with Nick was enough incentive to keep my head in the game for a little longer.
I nodded off, my head on Nick's shoulder for the hour-long drive to the DPI headquarters. When Nick shook my shoulder, I opened my eyes in time to watch as the car drove into an underground parking lot, the door closing down behind us as we descended. I presumed it would make the entrance invisible from above.
"Very cloak and dagger," I commented to no one in particular.
When the car pulled to a stop, we got out and stretched. Travel always made me weary, but reaching our destination, in this case, had me wishing I hadn't had to come. There was no sense putting it off, though. "When can we see Jax?" I asked our driver, as if he would know anything about that.
A voice from behind me echoed through the underground area. "Why don't you let us get you settled first," Mr. Havisham said.
I turned to face him. "Sure, that would be fine."
"I'll have him brought out tomorrow morning around ten?" he asked, stepping up before me.
"Sounds good."
"Great," he said, clapping his hands loudly. "Why don't you join us for some refreshments?" He immediately glanced away from me as if it were a command instead of an invitation, and I would, of course, follow his order. He turned to a young woman standing off to the side I hadn't noticed. She was thin and mousy. "I presume their rooms are ready." Mr. Havisham said. "Please let them freshen up and then show them to the lower level conference room."
Mr. Havisham didn't wait for her to reply either; he just spun on his heel and walked away. The group of other men in fatigues who had followed him fell into step behind him, and then he was gone.
I rolled my eyes at Nick, and he smirked and shook his head. Thank God, Nick was there to keep it light.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Our rooms were basically a tiny one-bedroom apartment underground. It had a half kitchen, more like a motel, with a bar fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. The living area was tiny, and the bedroom even smaller, but the bed was large enough for both of us. I was glad they hadn't decided to give us two separate rooms. I needed this time with Nick. I wasn't going to wait for the time to be right anymore. It was now or never.
"You want to shower first?"
I had half a mind to suggest we shower together, but one glance at the tiny bathroom nixed that idea. It was probably rushing things to be jumping into a shower with him anyway.
"Thanks," I said, grabbing my carry-on bag and slipping through the narrow door into the bathroom. I stared at my reflection in the mirror while I waited for the shower to heat up. Once the mirror was fogged, I turned and pulled my clothes off, ready to step in, I heard a squeaking noise and glanced back to see letters being traced into the foggy mirror.
I almost screamed but managed to keep it together, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around myself. "Fucking ghosts," I muttered, pulling the towel tight.
The invisible finger continued to press letters into the foggy mirror until two words I could have lived without seeing became visible.
"Help me."
"Really?" I asked the invisible spirit haunting my bathroom. "Don't you think I have enough going on already? Is this some kind of cosmic joke?" I raised my arms, throwing my head back as if God himself would have an answer for me.
"You okay?" Nick asked from beyond the door.
I took the two steps to the door and swung it open. "See for yourself," I said, stepping back to let him in.
He looked around. Luckily the bathroom was small and it only took him a second to notice the plea in the fog. "Was that there before you got in?"
"I wish," I said, rubbing my forehead. "Some spirit decided to write it as I was about to step into the shower."
Nick glanced around again. "Is she still here?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. But I really need this shower, so maybe she could fuck off for five minutes?" I let my voice get louder as I spoke, hoping whoever it was would leave me alone for a bit.
"Aren't they usually not able to interact with the room?"
"Wraiths normally can't, but who knows what this is. I'm sure I'll find out. It's like that dream I had. The wraith could touch me." I took a moment to freak out internally before forcing myself to calm down.
Nick wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in for a quick hug. I was suddenly self-conscious and tugged at the top of my towel.
"You'll figure it all out." His faith in me was always unwavering, and it did give me strength to hear him say it at that moment. I hadn't figured anything out yet. Falcor, Jax, new spirit dude or lady; they were all a mystery.
Nick let me go and then backed out, closing the bathroom door. I threw caution to the wind and dropped my towel. If the spirit were a peeping-tom freak, I would just have to hope they didn't have a cell phone to take nudes of me with.
The shower was great after that. I always felt rumpled and gritty after a long journey, so washing up and pulling on clean clothes worked wonders for my mood.
I stepped out of the bathroom with a lot more positivity than I had when I stepped in. Seeing Nick propped up against the headboard, his bare feet crossed at the ankles, and a newspaper in his hands as soon as I stepped out didn't hurt either. I still wasn't used to his black hair, but it did contrast starkly against his skin, which gave him an even more ethereal look—other-worldly handsome.
He noticed me staring at him and folded up the paper as I crawled onto the bed and plopped down beside him. His eyes scanned me, leaving me feeling warm and a bit nervous.
"Your turn--" I said, my voice coming out a cracking whisper. Before I could add 'with the shower,' his lips captured mine. His hand slid up behind my neck, tangling in my damp hair as he pressed forward.
When he pulled back, I was breathing harshly, and he was grinning foolishly. I couldn't help smiling back. "This was a good idea," I said, hoping he would agree with me.
Thankfully, he nodded and kissed my nose before pulling away and grabbing his bag off the floor. "I'll just be a minute."
I nodded and grabbed up the newspaper he had been reading. It was in German or something. Apparently, Nick was fluent in German, or whatever. Good to know.
I folded it again and laid back on the bed, letting my damp hair create a wet spot on the pillow. It felt good to lay down, and before I knew it, I slipped into sleep.
***
I was flying high above a city I didn't recognize. My wings were flapping hard against a gale-force wind. The clouds had gathered, and ahead I could see the torrential downpour of a hurricane.
I flapped harder, climbing high above the storm through the thick clouds. The winds battered and pressed at me, but I kept fighting, letting out a loud caw as if it would help me fly harder. When I finally broke through, the whole sky was silent and beautiful. Beneath me was a monster hurricane, but all around me was quiet and calm. Blue skies and sunshine kissing my feathers and making the glossy black sparkle like the night sky in the middle of the desert on a clear night.
Peace. I felt peace above the storm.
***
"Selena."
"Hmm?" I woke up. I had a flash of my dream and half a moment to think that my dream was probably easy to interpret if I wanted to do that. But instead, I rubbed my eyes and let it go. Yes, I was Crow flapping through a hurricane to try and get to my peace. I didn't need anyone to tell me that, not even my sub-conscious.
"You ready?" I asked.
Nick smiled at me, and I reminded myself that I wasn't alone in the hurricane. I bit my lip and pushed off the bed. I tied my hair up in an elastic, then took Nick's hand, and we stepped out of the room into the hall.
The woman who had shown us to the room was still waiting there, and she smiled when she saw us.
"Follow me," she said, walking back down the narrow hall. We fell in behind her, passing a few men and women in fatigues as we travelled the maze. As we stepped into an elevator, I checked out the control panel and found that there were three floors that could be accessed with a simple press of a button. Then there were ten more that required a key to access. I assumed those were the prison floors. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see those at all, to be honest. There were some pretty terrible vampires, witches, and warlocks kept in the DPI headquarters. Some that were so powerful that warlocks from all over the world had worked together to control them. That was all I knew about the place. It was a magical prison.
We only went down one level before the doors opened, and we followed our guide through some more halls, these ones a little darker, until she stopped at the door.
"Here you are. I'll be out here when you're finished to help you back to your room." She stepped back against the wall. I assumed that was standard procedure for non-DPI agents in the facility.
"Thank you," I said. "I didn't get your name."
"Melanie," she said.
"Thanks, Melanie."
She gave me a smile, and Nick and I pushed into the room. The solid door hadn't given us any indication of who was beyond the door, but as it swung open, I suddenly wished I were back home. The room was packed with DPI agents, some wearing fatigues and others in suits like Zander. The room was set up like a university lecture room. Chairs lined up on raised platforms. Easily two hundred men and women of all descriptions filled the seats, and more were standing along the side.
"What the hell?" Nick whispered.
I took a step forward, and the room slowly went silent, all eyes turning to look at me. It was silent long enough I thought my head would explode, then they all started clapping. Fuck my life.
"There she is," Mr. Havisham said, raising his arm and bidding me step toward the front of the room as if I was the keynote speaker at some kind of conference.
"What's all this?" I asked him as I stepped up beside him.
"The fine men and women of the DPI are simply welcoming you to our headquarters. Many have questions about the situation with Falcor, and others are just glad to meet you."
"A little warning would have been nice," I muttered, but Mr. Havisham was already ignoring me and addressing the room. Introducing me.
Nick stood off to the side, apparently content not to intervene and save me from the disaster we had stepped into.
Once Mr. Havisham had introduced me and talked about his role in securing the Sanctuary after the attack, he encouraged me to step up and talk about myself.
I had no idea what to say.
"Thanks for gathering here," I said. "I'd just like to thank you all for your dedication and effort in keeping the world safe."
They clapped, and I felt like maybe that wasn't so bad, but then Havisham opened the floor up to questions.
I glanced back at Nick. He was biting his lip at that point as if trying to hide his amusement. I didn't see anything funny about it but went on to answer about a hundred questions.
"Where is your crow?" one woman in a business suit asked. "I thought he helped you."
I sighed. "Yeah, he does help me when I need him. Other times he is off doing his own thing or raiding kitchens. You might see him if you have a cafeteria here." I had just finished slandering my bird when the bloody thing popped into existence right above me with a loud caw.
Of course, the scream startled me, making me look like an idiot as I nearly fell down. Payback from Crow was swift and cruel—the jerk. Luckily, nobody had time to laugh at me as Crow took the opportunity to circle the room, eyeing everyone in the room and flapping slowly.
Most people ducked a bit as he flew over them, and all eyes were trained on the silly bird.
I took it as my chance and thanked everyone for their questions, then scurried over to Nick, pushing his shoulder toward the door.
I still hadn't had any refreshments I had been promised. And though there was a table of juices and little sandwiches on a long table on the other side of the room, I was much more interested in leaving than snacking.
Nick led the way back out of the room, and I left Crow to his own devices.
"You think they deliver pizza here?" I whispered as Nick, and I crashed out the door and into the hall, nearly bumping right into a damn wraith who was so tall and wide he took up the entire hall like the hulk.
"Shit. Can you see him?" I asked.
"Who?" Nick asked, still smiling until he saw the look on my face.
He spun and looked down the hall like he could see whoever it was, but the wraith was right in front of him. It raised its hand and pointed its finger at me, then slowly dissolved from top to bottom like a cinematic effect in a vampire movie. He blew away like ash in the wind.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"Fucking creepy," I whispered as we hustled down the hall. I was thankful that Melanie wasn't lurking about to lead us back to our room. I would rather wander aimlessly and natter about the weird wraith. Keeping myself together and silent in front of another stranger wasn't on my to-do list at that moment.
"So, you think it was the same one that wrote the note on the mirror?" Nick asked.
I stopped dead, praying it was. If there were two extra creepy wraiths in the building, I was not going to get any sleep at all.
Nick threaded his fingers with mine, and the solid feel of his palm offered an anchor that pulled me back to earth. "I hope so."
"Me too," he said. "Come on, this way." Nick had already taken us up the elevator and seemed to be leading us back the way we came, not that I would know the difference since every hall seemed to look the same to me. Gray walls and gray carpet, slightly darker gray doors inset at random intervals, dull fluorescent overhead lighting; all of it seemed to just go on with no end.
Finally, Nick stopped in front of a door and produced a key card I hadn't seen, sliding it through the lock system, which produced a green light just before Nick pushed open the door. I had expected to see our room, but instead, it was a huge room full to the ceiling with file cabinets. I stumbled the first step, but Nick took my elbow and pulled me through before closing the door behind us.
"Where the heck are we?" I asked in a harsh whisper, feeling very much like we shouldn't be wherever we were.
"We need to see Jax's file. I borrowed this-" he said, holding up the key card, "- from one of the guards."
I shook my head. "How did you even know where it led?"
"All of the key cards open every storage room door." He was heading down a narrow aisle, his eyes scanning the fronts of all the cabinets.
"But how did you know that this was here?"
"I worked here for a while in my youth," he replied, his head still moving up and down as he scanned, obviously looking for a specific cabinet. I hoped he knew what he was doing. I really didn't need to get in trouble with the DPI.
I pulled open a cabinet and pulled out a random file, flipping it open. It was for a witch who had used her magic to rob a bank. A hundred years ago. "How long do criminals stay here?"
Nick shrugged. "I think it's up to the director."
I grabbed another file—a vampire who had bitten a man who was trying to rob him. The robber lived and was arrested, but the vampire was sent to prison with a sentence of twenty years. "This doesn't seem right."
Nick peeked over my shoulder. "No, that sounds ridiculous."
I pulled out several more and read the reason they were in prison. Some were legitimate, but some were cases where a human was at fault, and a witch, warlock, or vampire were sent to the DPI prison for no good reason. If I weren’t already working on Jax's case, I would have taken on a bunch more just from a quick look at some of the cases.
