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We were almost there when a thin, wiry man came barreling around the corner. He was reading something on a clipboard and ran right into me before bouncing back, openmouthed, as he realized what he was seeing.
"Crap," I said. We were going to be outted by a geek.
But he didn't stand there gawking and yel ing like an amateur. No, instead, he whipped out something that fit in the palm of his hand as he let out a loud shout that sounded like a cross between a yip and a howl. So not a good sound. But before I could say a word, Morio returned the cry, howling at the top of his lungs even as he began to grow into his ful demonic form. Eight feet of humanoid fox demon was a sight to behold.
"Double crap," Menol y said and launched herself forward, but before she could reach the dude, he lifted whatever it was he was holding and pressed a button. And al hel broke loose.
I reached out just in time to meet an oncoming wave of what felt like electricity. Or maybe it was pure joy juice or whatever the fuck, but a thousand stabbing needles forked their way through my body, and I went down like a wet noodle. As I lay convulsing on the floor, Menol y leapt past me and then, before I could hear the satisfying crunch of our enemy's broken bones, she joined me on the floor, her eyes flashing red even as the jolt kept her from moving.
"You die!" Smoky flew past me, and once again, I heard the charge go off, but this time there was the sound of something wet smashing against one wal , and Smoky's raw laughter fil ed the hal . Meanwhile, Camil e helped me stand as the flickering tingles played across my nerves like a freaking torture machine.
"Can you stand? Can you hear me?" She wrapped her arms around me and helped me over to the wal so that I could lean against it. Menol y joined us-
-apparently the effects didn't last as long if you were already dead.
I nodded, trying to catch my breath. "Yeah . . . yeah . . . I'l be okay. Real y." I glanced over to where Smoky was standing, near the end of the hal , keeping guard. The guy was a puddle on the floor, blood pouring out of every orifice he had. Smoky had not only tossed him like garbage, he'd raked him with his claws. So much for the front man.
Camil e gingerly picked up the weapon he'd been using and handed it to Roz. "You're the expert on weaponry. What is this?">As usual, we were taking two cars: my Jeep and Morio's SUV. Menol y, Vanzir, and Roz were riding with me, while Tril ian, Smoky, and Camil e rode with Morio. I put in a cal to Chase to meet us there.
As we headed south on First Avenue, the streets were fairly clear. A few gangbangers--probably the Zeets--were hanging around, but the night was too wet and chil y for much outdoor activity. We passed the piers to the ferries on our right, and the back side of Pike Place Market on our left, and continued along past the Seahawks Stadium and Safeco Field, also on our left.
As the streets wore along, the charm vanished, and the darker, seedier aspect set in. We zoomed along on the overpass leading over the BNSF train yard--a maze of tracks and boxcars in weathered pinks, greens, whites--al colors from so many different companies and places. The thought of being stuck down there, on foot, gave me the creeps.
We weren't just near gang territory but also vampire territory--and not vampires like Menol y, who did their best to keep themselves in check, but vampires like Dominick and Terrance, who led the cry for vamps to quit trying to assimilate and to create their own culture that didn't try to mimic human culture.
Menol y had been tossed out of Vampires Anonymous, the one group where she might have done some good against the fanged dangers, because Wade--the leader of the vampire self-help group--was afraid she'd spoil his bid on becoming regent over the Northwest Vampire Dominion. We hadn't heard lately how his campaign was going, but I had the feeling next time they met, there would be hel to pay on his part.
As the overpass glided back to street level, I pul ed into a side parking lot shortly after we passed South Dawson Street. We were parked right next to the Emporium Meats warehouse.
"Here we are. And it looks like we're going to have company." I nodded to the parking lot. There were at least five cars that we could reasonably assume belonged to the shifters.
"Camil e and crew are here," Menol y said, as Morio's SUV parked alongside my Jeep. "We're too near Dominick's for comfort."
"Not only that, but take a look across the street--there appears to be a new club in town," Roz said.
We glanced across the darkened road to the neon sign that glowed green. THE ENERGY EXCHANGE. Somehow, I didn't think it was a pay station for Puget Sound Power and Light. No, with a name like that, the joint could dabble in several things, none of them registering good on my internal danger meter.
"I don't like the feel of that," Menol y said. "But I don't think it's vampire."
"No, it's not." I slid out of the driver's seat and stood there, staring at the glowing neon tubes. "There's something . . ."
Just then Morio and Camil e wandered over, gazing at the club's sign. "Sorcery. I can feel it."
"You think Van and Jaycee run that joint, too?" Seattle was becoming a scary place to live. Even as more and more Fae were drawn here, so it seemed were the lowlifes of the Supe world.
"I doubt it, since they're Tregart. But I bet they frequent it." Camil e glanced over her shoulder at the warehouse. "We'l have to worry about this place later. We need to get into the warehouse and see if they've got Amber and the men."
"How we going to do this?" I considered the building. Morio was right--there was an entrance to either side, and the dock had its own door--as big as the entire loading bay. It operated like a garage door, and I wondered if there was a mechanism on the outer wal to open it.
"My guess is they keep that locked from the inside," Vanzir said, fol owing my gaze. "But the side doors shouldn't be hard to break through. The locks look old, and I doubt if they've bothered to buy new ones. After al , who would ever suspect them?"
"Wilbur told me, when I escorted him home, that coyote shifters are arrogant. They never think anybody's going to be able to keep up with their tricks.
So let's give the side door a try." Roz gave me a little push and, in a bad Humphrey Bogart impression, said, "This is your department, dol . How's about you go first?"
I motioned Camil e and Morio to the rear. "You two stay back there. We fight better without men down, and Camil e sure doesn't need to be caught by a flurry of Wolf Briar again. Menol y, you and Smoky up front with me. Vanzir and Roz, bring up the middle."
Grateful to the moody October night for the rich darkness that surrounded us, I led the way across the parking lot to the concrete steps, up to the walkway that ran the length of the warehouse. Briefly, I wondered if it curved around to the sides, but we didn't have time to check it out. Not right now. I headed over to the left-side door and knelt beside it, flashing a penlight on the lock. It was old and looked like it hadn't been used for some time.
