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He touched my cheek lightly, his warm chocolate eyes filled with concern. “Make sure that you do.”
I smiled and headed up the back stairs to the locker area, grabbing my things before heading out. I’d parked in the Blue Moon’s underground lot rather than our restaurant’s parking area, not only because there’d be more people about but because security patrolled twenty-four/seven. Most of the Moon’s patrons were well behaved, but in any crowd there was always that one small group of folk who got their kicks out of causing trouble or destroying other people’s property. Or, in my case, putting bugs on vehicles.
By the time I got over to Seddon it was beginning to rain, making the streets slick and the night even more miserable. The Sandpiper’s Inn was situated in the center strip of shops, and there was a FOR LEASE sign out front. The bricks had been painted a dark red, the door and window frames were a gaudy faded gold, and the tattered remains of a swag valence decorated the inside of one of them. It reminded me more of a brothel than a restaurant.
There were no lights on, and no indication that anyone had been near the place for months. I drove on past, found a side street, then cruised into the lane behind the restaurant. I parked, then turned to study the rear of the building.
It wasn’t any more attractive from this angle. There were several windows, but each one was covered by rusting security bars and the glass behind them was smashed. Water poured from the corroded spouting and the wind tugged at the loose sheeting on the roof, filling the night with an eerie creaking.
I shivered, shoved my hands into my pockets, and tried to ignore the whisper that said I should have taken Tao up on his offer. I would have felt safer with him at my back.
I studied the back door. Like the windows, it was barred, but the metal around the lock was twisted and the door was slightly ajar. Another shiver stole across my body. Whoever had done that to the security door had been extremely strong. I just had to hope he or she wasn’t still in there.
But the night was clear of any scent other than the rain and the nearby trash cans. If there were shifters—or worse—nearby, then they’d used something to erase their smell.
I licked my lips and forced my feet forward. I paused at the door, one hand on the metal as I flared my nostrils, searching for any hint that something—or someone—was inside.
Again, there was nothing.
I released a shuddering breath, then carefully opened the door. The room beyond was small and dark, and smelled of piss and decay. I stepped inside, my nose wrinkling as I waited for my eyes to adjust to the deeper darkness of the room.
There was dirt and garbage everywhere. Boxes of trash were piled up in one corner, while in the other was an old industrial washing machine that obviously held laundry long forgotten, if the smell was anything to go by.
I stepped through another door and found myself in a kitchen. The trash was thicker here, and the scent of decaying food matter was interspersed with rancid oil and urine. I had a suspicion the cause was either cats or possums. It had more of an animal tang than a human one.
I walked carefully through the mess and found a set of swinging doors at the far end. I had no sense that there was anyone waiting beyond these doors, and the only sound to be heard was the howl of the wind and the creak of loose roofi
ng.
I flexed my fingers, then carefully pushed through into the next room. The light from the street filtered in through the dusty windows, creating two strips of brightness beyond which the shadows gathered. A few chairs and tables were stacked up along one wall, and along the other were a small reception desk and bar area. Beyond that, the room was empty. It also smelled a whole lot better.
I glanced at my watch. It was five past one, so whoever was supposed to meet me here was either delayed or not coming. The latter wouldn’t actually surprise me, given everything else that had gone wrong of late.
I walked around the room, keeping to the shadows and away from the squares of light. I stopped near one of the windows, which gave me a good view of both the kitchen door and the front door, and also gave me an exit—the window—if I needed it.
After another five minutes, an odd sense of awareness stole over me. I’d heard no one approach—no one beyond the occasional pedestrian on the pavement outside—and the air remained clear of any scent other than the overripe smells drifting out from the other rooms. But in the midst of all that came a wash of heat. Not body heat, but rather the heat of a powerful presence. There was an Aedh close by, and he was in spirit form rather than physical.
I licked my lips, then said softly, “I know you’re here. Show yourself.”
“That is not possible,” came the measured, cultured reply. It whispered around me, familiar in a weird sort of way.
Because it sounded like me. A male version of me.
My pulse quickened. “Who are you?”
“You know who I am. You can feel it.”
“I can feel an Aedh. Of more than that, I can’t be certain.” I paused, then added, “After all, it’s not like I’ve ever had any interaction with the man whose seed gave me life.”
“Under normal circumstances, you would not be interacting with me now. But these are far from normal circumstances.”
“Yeah, you’re trying to permanently close the gates between the light and the dark path, and thereby bring about the destruction of life as we know it.”
He paused, and a sense of surprise rolled across the darkness. I wished he’d show himself, because I really did want to see the man who was my father. But I guess I could also understand caution. He had no more idea of whether he could trust me than I did of him.
“That is not entirely true,” he said. “Yes, I am a Raziq, and yes, we were working on keys that could be used to close the portals, but that is not my purpose now.”
“Then what is your purpose?” I crossed my arms and leaned back against the wall. Although the pose appeared casual, every muscle quivered, ready to launch into fight mode should the need arise.
