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“Perhaps I am, but this is my truth: Again, I offer: ten pounds of prime beef for one clearing.
Twenty pounds of prime beef for a second. Do we bargain?”
I gazed into those ancient, otherworldly eyes, wondering how long the Elder Fae would continue to accept the modern era. How long before they’d band together and drive their brutal natures through the lands again. They stil had their strength, and if they ever chose to work aligned, they could be bril iant and deadly in a way that creatures like my vampire serial kil er could only dream of.
But this was not to be the day. Ivana Krask inclined her head, and her owl mirrored the movement. “So wil it be. Twenty pounds of raw prime beef for two clearings. Where shal I meet you?”
I gave her the address of the deserted diner. “Here is the first place. I wil meet you there within the hour with your beef. Ten pounds to start, ten pounds when you finish clearing the second spot.”
She let out another hiss and twisted in a way that reminded me uncomfortably of a bug or a spider attempting to get a better view of me. After a moment she held up one hand, and I gingerly pressed my own against it.
“We have a bargain, Vampyr. Now go, and don’t be late or I take it in trade. And since I have never tasted vampire flesh before, it would be a new experience to which I would not be averse.”
And with that, she retreated into the shadows, and I hustled off to QFC—a regional grocery store chain—and soon my shopping cart was fil ed with twenty pounds on the nose of prime beef. One pound over and the Maiden of Karask would be offended. One pound less and she’d take it out of my skin.
Adding a couple extra pounds, wrapped separately, just in case they’d measured wrong, I carried the bags back to my Jag, wondering just what the hel I was thinking. But I didn’t want anybody else in danger, and I wasn’t about to let Delilah or Camil e come with me. As I headed toward the Greenbelt Park District, I realized that my life had become one freak show event after another.
Strangely, I somehow didn’t mind it so much.
CHAPTER 15
I sat in my Jag, across the street from the diner, staring at the darkened building on an even darker block. I real y didn’t want to go back in there. I didn’t want to meet Ivana Krask. I especial y didn’t want to go meet Ivana Krask in the diner. The concept of heading into the dark where we knew there were hostile, hard-to-eradicate ghosts with one of the Elder Fae by my side wasn’t my idea of a party. When I saw her scuttling down the street, I pul ed out my cel phone and cal ed Roman.
“Listen, I’m headed in to meet Ivana and take care of some of these freak-ass spirits. If I don’t check back with you in two hours, cal my home and tel them where I went and who I went with.”
I was grumpy. I hated feeling nervous, but this was a pretty gruesome situation, which was why I was doing it on my own. Camil e and Delilah would have my butt, but they’d be safe from both the ghosts and Ivana. And I wasn’t sure which was more dangerous.
I hauled ass out of the car and retrieved the grocery bags from the backseat. Carrying twenty pounds of beef was like carrying a feather for me as I crossed the street. A light touch on my cheek made me look up, and I saw that the snow had started to fal again—a light dusting that drifted down like powdered sugar on a gingerbread cake.
Ivana was standing in front of the diner, staring at it. As I approached, she held up one hand and I stopped, waiting til she turned her head first one way, then the other. After she’d listened for a few moments, she motioned me over.
“You have my payment?” She swiveled her head, staring at the bags. The tiny bump of a nose on her face twitched.
“Yes, twenty pounds of prime rib here.” I set down the bags and stepped back. “You get ten of it now, then the other ten after you finish the work.”
Ivana leaned over and lifted the bags, her sharp little teeth nipping at her lips. After a moment she grunted, sounding almost disappointed. “It is here. The bargain is sealed. Show me the spirits, girl.”
I held up one hand. “Wait.” And ran the second ten pounds back over to my Jag. I didn’t trust her, bargain or not. The Elder Fae knew how to twist words in uncannily astute ways.
When I returned, I walked past her to the diner. “Can you clear the spirits from this place? This is the first task.” As I yanked the freshly boarded-up door open, a soft yawn echoed from within. The ghosts were waiting. I could feel them circling within.
Ivana gazed at the open mouth of the building, and then with a deep laugh, she motioned for me to fol ow her. “Come, Vampyr. You wil perhaps learn a thing or two. Time to earn my meat.”
We entered the building and I could have sworn I heard a rumble from deep in the basement. I wished Camil e and Morio were here. Or Smoky. Smoky would be good. Not much could affect my dragon brother-in-law, and I could trust him. Unlike the freak show in front of me right now.
My feet made no sounds, but Ivana, three steps ahead of me, was stomping across the floor as if she owned the joint. She muttered something under her breath and held out one hand. In the sliver of light from the street, I saw a silver branch appear in her palm, about three feet long and looking for al the world like a tree branch. It glistened, and I realized I was seeing the glow emanating from it, rather than just the sparkle of the metal. Instinctively, I stopped in my tracks.
Silver: not so nice for vampires. But my Fae heritage loved it, and I wished, for the hundredth time, that I could stil reach out and hold it in my hands.
“What’s that?” I cautiously circled away from Ivana.
“Bah. You are Vampyr. You do not use silver.” She waved me away.
“I used to. I am half-Fae on my father’s side. But you’re right, I don’t use silver anymore.” I glanced at the counter as I backed into it.
“This,” Ivana continued as if I hadn’t spoken, “is my special friend. You do not touch it or you wil burn yourself, yes? Because of the fangs and the death? Vampires burn when they touch silver because they are of the undead.”
“Yes, we do.” I was getting tired of discussing the reason I couldn’t touch silver and wanted to change the subject, but she was leading this gig and once again: Elder Fae. Anger at your own risk.
