Daughter of Anat (5 page)

Chapter
Six

...
truths being in and out of favor.

Cas was gone.  He went with Granite to solve a situation I wasn
’t allowed to be aware of.  You’d think I’d be able to handle whatever he deals with, but for some reason he still worried I’d judge him.

And I still hadn
’t told him about Granite.  I wanted to study it a bit longer before accusing.  I was astonished it slipped by Cas in the first place.

Cord was there with my every step lately at the warehouse so I decided to avoid it today.  Lee had disappeared off the radar staying at the Hunter school.  I really hadn
’t tried to keep up with him for fear of him hearing things I don’t want him to and use it the wrong way.  He was helping me and that made the difference.

The Vamp court guards avoided me all morning.  In fact, I hadn
’t seen a soul. 

I found Liam looming around the office I rarely went into across from the
Sun room.  In fact, I’d been in only once before.  I knew Cas spent nights there sometimes while I slept getting what he called “work” done.  I didn’t always know what constituted as work for a Vampire lord, but I was slowly learning.  I sure didn’t know the definition of true work unless you count the missions I’d been sent on and pampering sparring lessons.  I’d only recently had to actually make my own plans of “how to save the world” or at least our supernatural world that was at stake.  It seemed half were on my side and the other half were trying to kill me.  That left my “work load” somewhere in between dodging death and fighting bad guys. 

He told me that Cas and Granite went after a rogue Vampire they
’d traced and wasn’t back yet.  Oh, the irony.  Aren’t they all roguish in a way? And isn’t Granite exhibiting all kinds of super roguish qualities lately?

Still, I was perturbed I wasn
’t included.

I would follow the leads where
they
went.  Liam said he’d follow some other leads and get back to me.  Liam was sent in right after we returned to check out the real place where we were to be ambushed.  Turns out, the camp was moved and kept the same name.  That’s how Lee was able to cover up his slide of hand trickery. 
We
went to the wrong camp.  

When Liam flipped papers around on the desk,
I leaned against Cas’ masculine designed desk that matched the walls and decor of the room and paused to appreciate the musky scent that I knew was only Cas.  I loved this room.  Yes, a Vampire lord has a dark mahogany desk that screamed manliness.  Huge too. 

As I turn to leave the deep browns of the tall ceiling office, I caught something glinting off the sun sticking out of the papers. Cas would never leave his phone.
My body convulsed with fear acknowledging instantly something was wrong.

“Why are you in his office?” I barked at Liam suspiciously.

His weary Vampire eyes froze and looked at me.  “Um, just...”  He put his head in his hands.  “He was trapped.  Someone led him straight to a trap.  I don’t even know who has him.”

“How did this happen?”  I said in a panic.  The idea of what he was hinting sent my deepest fear to the edge of my brain and breeching to a near explosion.

“I don’t know.  It’s not happened since Lord...”  Liam looked back up at me.  “I will get him back.”

Yeah.  Cuz
’ it looks like you have a great plan.  “I’m on this.  I will get back with you.”  Wait.  “How did you find out?”

“Very important Vampire connection.”

“Talk,” I folded my arms and raised my knife for the effect.

Liam, the very scary Vampire, swallowed long and said, “Dude calls himself Drac.  Don
’t misinterpret.  He’s very dangerous and walks a thin line between sane and crazy.  He knew it was Borgon who wanted you dead by the way the two Elves were bragging in the bar a few hours ago.  Thorn is very aware of what Drac is capable of.  They will do something to him to get to you.  I’m here to get the funds to make him let him go.”

Funds.  I didn
’t need funds.  I needed a chest to throw a dagger in.

And out I went.  Grabbing my knives, daggers, and a bow I was out like lightning for the first time being on my own out the door of the Vampire court with battle gear on.  First, I didn
’t know where to go.  I took the black Hummer since the keys stayed in it.  I flew to the front gate and zipped with the speed of a demon on rails.  I didn’t even stop to think all the bad things that might have happened and I didn’t know about.  I didn’t want to.

Focus!  Worry later.  At least my brain told my heart this.

Szar was faster than me out the door when I called him.  He was down by the gate and in the driver seat of the Hummer before I could undo the seat belt and let him in.  I told him on text about Liam and the phone.  He said Cas had mentioned something about Granite and he going to a bar to tamper down a fight that involved three Elves.  We started there.

I stuck out like a sore thumb in jeans and boots.  The other girls, mostly Vamps, were dressed rather scantily.  Was this why Cas hid me from his life?  It was dark and dangerous on the inside too. 

I tried not to think about Cas ever coming here and set to find the information we needed.  We got into the club that Szar told me about.  My first astonishing notion for the day...Szar got us in on his name alone. 

The bouncer at the door of Club Sire recognized him.

“Ask me later, Stace.”

He didn
’t call me sister.  We sure didn’t look anything alike and we knew now we weren’t ever really related, but he had a reason for it now.  Weird followed me everywhere.  I wish I could tell it to go away and let me be.  Live my life in the norm.  But what is norm?

A big burly Vampire man bartended the long counter with...whoa!  Elves.  I saw a Hunter.  I knew he was Hunter because of the way his body countered as so Amazon looking like Calum and Lee. 

And Valkyrie court boys I knew were there and I recognized.  They nodded to me puzzled by my appearance.  Szar was leading us right too them.

“Anastacia.  Szar.”  A tall boy with long blonde hair in a
pony-tail greeted me. 
              “Jared?”  I squinted in the smoky air and yelled since the music was louder than I could speak.  It was the boy who would never give up on trying to beat me.  He was the one regular sparring partner I knew well.

“What are you doing here?” He looked me up and down to hopefully note my obvious dress code violation or...for other reasons. 

“We need some help?”  I pounced.

Szar took my arm in some kind of warning.  “
Not in here.”

Where then?

“In the backroom?” Jared looked at my brother then gave me another flesh examination that made me feel naked.

Well.  Well. Well.  Brother
’s got secrets.

Winding throw throbbing bodies and sweaty fingers groping places even I hadn
’t held onto myself, I felt like a sandwich between Szar and Jared. Jared was a little too close to the back of me but I thought better of knowing whose parts were touching me than who else it could be.  Once in the room, I detached the leeching body and stepped to the center of an empty room with a game table and chairs around it.  Like a mini casino, but currently desolate.

“Care for a game, man?” A boy already in the said room slapped Szar over the shoulder.  He was familiar, but I didn
’t remember him.

Szar
’s eyes reverted to me.  “I’m not here for the good times brothers of mine.  I need a favor.”

“Mar,” the other boy suddenly introduced himself to me zoning in too dang close to my face.  I stretched back at first towards Szar then realized it hadn
’t been that long since I’d had to stave off boys like this.  I’d become accustomed to Cas’ protective nature and just now appreciated it.  Cas never leaving my thoughts didn’t keep the fear from rising.

These boys sensed it too.  I
’d lost my touch.

“Didn
’t mean to frighten you Anastacia,” the boy named Mar said.  Funny name.  Familiar too.

“Oh, I
’m good.  Just ready to get the goods on the table Mar.  I have a time issue at stake and small talk is not in the...cards.”  I eyed the table I’d scooted up against trying to be my icy old self. 

Szar snorted at my odd to him behavior.

Jared decided his own unique humor might be welcome when he said, “Well, if I recall.  You were always fond of being on your back.  Maybe you could show me some of your latest moves.”

Szar reacted first with an arm across the guy
’s neck yelling, “Not to my sister, man.  Save it for the scum out there.” 

At least he acknowledged what we were among.  I felt the ice come over my body taking with it the power of what I held.  I, for the first time, intentionally allowed my Valkyrie power of persuasion to take care of the situation.  I so often hid it because it made me feel like I couldn
’t get what I needed without it.  Since the guys have figured out I have it, I didn’t see any reason to hide it anymore.  Besides, it took meeting them to be sure it was in me.

I peeled Szar off the boy and stood prostrate with the foul excuse for a Valkyrie in front of me rubbing my hand across his shoulder slow and meticulously in a facade to gain his favor.  “I am not in the mood to neither clean up blood nor get out the band-aids.  Forgive me Jared for doing my next move.” I jacked my knee up between his legs the second he relaxed.

I let him fall to his knees and turned to the other boy from my very own court.  I never sparred him.  That’s the memory.  He always refused.

“Mar, is it?” My eyes were little slits by now.  I wanted answers.

The boy backed against the table in the very spot I’d just displayed the same fear.  Well, a different kind of fear.

“I am going to stand real close to you so if you feel the need to hold your balls in a quick angst to avoid pain, do it now.  Meanwhile, my brother here has a question.”  I stopped just in front of him like he did me anchoring my legs two feet apart to brace for anything that probably would never happen.

Both boys were at full attention and ready to comply with our needs.  I was hurting someone again.  Just like Cord.  I was dangerous.  Deadly.  A man killer, nothing more.

“Well, sis.  Here I thought I was the heathen bringing you here and you seemed to have taken matters well in hand.  These are my friends Stace, so before we leave it would be nice if you apologize.”

My hand slapped his face.  He’d gone mad. 

“I defended you.  It
’s not like I’m okay with it.  I just know it’s a might hard to get information when your contacts are unable to breathe.”

“Let him breathe from his nuts then
, brother.  Get the information you need so I can leave this hellhole.”

He cursed and turned to
Mar.  “Which one is the Elf that runs with Borgon?”  Szar motioned back out the door towards the inside of the bar.

“The one called Minnie,” Mar stammered out.

Minnie Mouse?  Is Mickey in there too?

I left out the door with Szar on my heels.  I headed for the bar where the burly creature that I couldn
’t decipher as anything human or otherwise, caught my attention as I snaked onto a stool.  I put on my best smile and fingered my palm on the countertop not thinking about what germs lingered there.

“So, I
’m supposed to meet Minnie here and I haven’t the faintest idea who Minnie is.  Could I persuade you to help me out?”  I smiled my best seductive look I could muster.  It was still new for me.

The big man blinked and then blinked again.  Like he was under a spell, he pointed to a woman at the end of the bar.  I leaned over the counter and looked down the length of it.  There, at the end, was
a huge woman the size of a truck. 
That
was Minnie?

I flipped around knocking into Szar.  I don
’t think my little ability to sway the guys into submission is going to convince the same out of this Minnie. 

“Gods
, sis.  You have some kind of power.  Are you sure you can’t hypnotize or something like they said?”

“No.” 
Oh, yes.  That I can do.

I
’ve changed my mind.  All these years I hid it from everyone and made it look like I didn’t have it.  But now, I’ve decided it might just be a great secret weapon. 

We made our way through the fog to Minnie.  I sized her up as she did the same to me.  She...underestimated me.  Likely, I was doing the same. 

“We need to find a place where Borgon holes up his bargaining chips.  I’m getting blunt and to the basic point because I need to find it.  Can you help me out?”

Whatever hypnotizing charms I may have over boys, did not in fact wo
rk on three hundred pound girl Elves.  Not that I would ever try it again.

The “lady” name Minnie chewed a little on the gum in her mouth and bellowed out like a man, “You got some nerve little lassie.”