The walls of the bar were the same color as the red door, except for the black clan symbols of the local tribes. They'd agreed this was neutral territory where disputes were set aside. My house sign was on the other side of the bar, above the purple lights that shone across the various liqueur bottles. I liked the contrast of the black chairs on red carpet and bright red lights over the dance floor. The hooded lights above the six pool tables in back were ordinary. That couldn't be said for the were-frogs lining up shots, or waiting their turn.
The place had fewer customers than I expected. A couple of vampires were signing up for karaoke, their human girlfriends looked very happy keeping them company despite the fact they'd been invited here as appetizers.
The bouncer led Izumi and me past a table with four fey summer girls in stiletto heels and a few leaves plastered on at strategic points. They fluffed their boobs at me as I passed; their full pursed lips. Their painted faces were an invitation to sin.
Sadly, here on business, I declined the offer. I escorted Izumi to our table and excused myself for a minute. I'd seen
Gray sitting at the bar, no one anywhere close to him. The old half-angel said fuck-it to both sides: light and dark, siding with humans exclusively. Across the bar from him was Gloria. She owned the place.
I nodded to her as I reached the bar. She was the only pure blood I'd ever met. All the others had been made, not born to that legacy. She wore a pink leather corset with matching pants, and pink streaks in her black hair that only a twenty-five hundred year old vampire would have the guts to pull off. It helped that she looked seventeen and would always have perky tits that looked tasty on her thin, short frame.
She flashed a little fang. The usual, hellfire with a brimstone chaser?"
"Sure, and a Pink Champagne for the lady," I thumbed over my shoulder at Izumi.
As Gloria started on the drinks, I turned to Gray. "Got any words of wisdom for me?"
He took a gulp of German lager, wiped his face, and turned to scowl at me. His eyes were white, like a blind man's, but he saw everything and a lot more. The guy had a gift for prophecy that had gotten him banned from every casino in Vegas. He looked deep inside my soul, shuddered, and turned away. I guess it wasn't very pretty. His creaky voice assailed, "When it comes time to take a helluva risk, zig, don't zag."
"Is zig left or right?"
"Uh-huh."
"So I go left?"
"Right."
I sighed. "Jeez, thanks for nothing."
"Seriously, leave the red moon alone. No good ever comes from screwing around with alternate dimensions."
"I've got no idea what you're talking about," I said.
"You will, in time." He turned away from me, losing interest.
I returned to my table and sat down. Izumi leaned over the table, offering me a peek down her dress. "Caine, what was the 'one … two…' about with Claude at the door?"
I grinned. "The last time I got to three, I pulled him out the door and kicked him off the dumpster, the one with the big dent in it."
"This gets you better service?"
"What do you think?" I winked at Izumi, and scanned the room, waiting for Gloria. She came with two drinks on a tray, infernal red for me and a pink one for Izumi.
I said, "Gloria, bring Old Man some honeyed mead. He should be here any second now."
"It's been a while," Gloria said.
I nodded. "By the way, there's a pack of wolves coming, as my guests. Don't water the drinks down."
"Why, I never!"
I looked at her.
She said, "Well, just that once, but it was prohibition…" She was joking with me, but her eyes had gone blood red, the mark of a pure blood vampire in a pissy mood. Vamps and wolves don't get along very well.
"Are you going to destroy my bar again?" Gloria smiled. Mad, happy, sad, pissed beyond sanity, her expression tended not to change. I liked that about her, even if it creeps me out at times.
"I'll let you know," I said.
Gloria rolled her eyes and walked back to the bar to make Old Man's drink. I couldn't help looking at Gloria's ass as she walked away, which eventually redirected my gaze to a stranger at the end of the bar, further down past Gray. The man sat nestled in a midnight blue long coat that hid his bar stool and any weapons he may have carried. He exuded a foul aura of magic that had gone undetected until my senses zeroed in on him. If it had not been for Gloria's ass, I'd have missed him altogether—the man from my dream, who went for the chicken.
He ran a fingertip around the rim of a wine glass filled with something dark red, too translucent to be blood. As if feeling my eyes on him, he stood up. Just under six feet, his spiky blond hair looked out of place on his head, as if he'd just pasted it on and hadn't gotten it quite centered. Turning his back to me, he strolled toward the restrooms. I heard only the faintest whisper of sound from his steps.
Gray watched him go.
Mixing drinks behind the bar, Gloria didn't look concerned. She welcomed anyone in her bar as long as they respected her rules, or at least asked permission before breaking them. Still, I'd seen her back tense up just a little as he passed her. I wondered what she knew that I didn't.
I drained the glass, pushed my chair back, and stood. "Have to use restroom, be right back."
Izumi nodded. "I'll have Gloria brings you a refill"
I walked pass the bar. Gray looked right at me and then toward the restroom. The way he looked at the restroom made me think something was up with the spiky blond guy. Gray doesn't bother himself with small problems and insignificant people, except in the line of duty.
I walked into the restroom. It had three urinals, two stalls, and a pair of sink; that was the usual part. The baby blue floor tiles and the Winnie-the-Pooh pictures on the walls were
Gloria's idea of a joke, as were the lavender-plum scented hand soap bottles. There were no windows. No one snuck out on Gloria without paying their tab.
I took the pisser next to the man with the midnight blue long coat.
"Never seen you around here before," I spoke looking straight ahead. It's a straight guy thing. If you actually look at a guy taking a wiz before he puts his junk away, you endanger your "real man" status.
"I'm here for a job," the man said.
"A job for someone like you? Must be big."
"One of a private nature, Caine Deathwalker."
Oh-ho! He'd done his research and knew who I was.
"Deathwalker? Is that really your name?"
I slipped Big Willie back into my pants and zipped him in. "Yep, had to pick a last name to live in the human would, and everyone told me I 'walked with death' so there you are. And you would be?"
"Kris Salem." He zipped up slowly, carefully, trying to imply his size was so monstrous he had to be extra careful. I made a mental note to remember that trick.
"Well, Kris, don't fuck around in my town too much. The big problems eventually get passed to me."
He nodded and moved with me to the sinks where we washed up. The baby-blue wallpaper started to melt and twist as if space were distorting. The white porcelain sinks deepened to lilac. Running water became warm, iron-smelling blood. It cut through the sink like hot water through ice cream. The picture of old Winnie widened his grin. The bear's eyes were red flame—like Gloria's. I turned to look the rest of the room over. It had become unshaped. A miasma of sickly yellow and mauve mists formed leering, demonic faces that were torn apart as fast as they formed.
I extended all my senses, mystical and otherwise. There was no emotional tampering attached to the scene, so I decided this wasn't a fey trick of glamour. And I sensed only us two, nothing else alive and threatening, misty faces aside. Either Kris Salem was using a helluva lot of power to shred reality, or he was a magic-user, trying to drown me in illusion. Our piss-off had become a pissing contest.
I could feel the floor under my feet but it looked like I was standing on a humongous tongue. It was pebbly rough and grooved down the middle. I couldn't help thinking that I was about to be swallowed by something very big.
Kris faced me. His eyes were empty sockets, his skin grey as a zombie. The midnight blue long coat tore in the back as demon wings thrust free, fanning behind him. The struts were ebon, the membranes baby-shit green. He sang, "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…"
I answered with, "Kiss my ass."
He laughed and walked away. Reaching out into the mists, he pulled open an invisible door. Over the threshold, I could see the outer hallway. He went through and let the door swing shut behind him. The room went back to normal. I stood there, deep in thought. His magic hadn't felt right; not earned, borrowed, or given into his care. Stolen from others. I decided. That told me what he was.
Damn warlock. I was going to have and keep an eye on this guy, on top of all else I had to do. Warlocks are scum. Wherever they go, bodies pile up as they feed their magic. Normally I wouldn't give a crap, but warlocks don't care about hiding their work. That brings human attention to our community, and trouble.
What worried me more than his presence was the fact that he wasn't acting on his own, but claimed to be working a job. Someone might well have hired him to kill me, a bid at opening up my territory for someone else to claim. William? I didn't think so. Wolves are pretty straight forward. They want you dead; they come after you personally—and eat you alive. They don't give their prey to others.
I dried my hands on a towel from the dispenser and tossed the paper in the trash. If only all problems could be handled so easily… I left the restroom and returned to the bar. Salem was back on his barstool. Gloria, as always, was smiling blithely. I smiled all the way back to my table where Izumi waited, along with my refilled drink.
"Why are you so happy?" she asked.
"I foresee a lot of bloodshed in my future. When Old Man hears about this…"
Movement at the door caught my eye. "Speak of the demon," I said.
Old Man had walked in and was looking around, unimpressed with the clientele and the décor. Only Gray and Gloria—and the soon-to-be-dead warlock—didn't look like they wanted to haul ass and run. It's always funny to see how things that go bump in the night react to him.
Old Man came over. I kicked the third seat over to him.
He snagged it and sat. "Why am I here, Caine?"
I said, "Why do I have wolves on my street and why didn't I hear about it from you?"
Old Man looked at me in silence until Gloria walked over and put a drink in front of him. The mead came in a horn shaped goblet that magically didn't fall over.
"I'll put it on Caine's tab," Gloria said, walking away.
Old Man downed the drink. "I've heard nothing about this till now. Tell me more."
"The Alpha is William Cooper. He has three males and three hot females," I said.
Old Man put two fingers in the air, signaling Gloria for a second drink.
Izumi was still working on her first drink, not even halfway through.
"When did they move in?" Old Man asked.
"They're not even done moving in, but the house hasn't had a for sale sign for at least three weeks. That says something." I said.
"Could they just not have noticed it was a claimed territory?" Old Man asked.
"I don't see how. I have runes all over the damned city. Hell, they're so strong even some humans can feel them. And yeah, they're working, we just came from there," I said.
"They could have bought the house before knowing it was your territory?" Izumi said.
"When was the last time you saw someone buy a five bedroom house without looking at it first?" I asked.
"You have a point," Izumi said.
"So, Old Man, can you look this up while keeping Hiro safe?" I asked.
He arched an eyebrow, grinned, and sipping mead from the horn. "Yeah, no problem, but I'll be keeping Leona with me, at least for now."
"No problem, I don't need her for my plan anyway," I said.
"I don't like it when you take a scenic route to your missions. You should be more focused on direct action," Old Man said. "Getting fancy is often a mistake."
"I'm killing two pigeons with one brick." I took a drink from my cup. "The Alpha and his pack will be here in a few, and it would be better if you're not here, Old Man. I don't want them to panic, just yet."
Old Man gulped down his mead, got up, and slid his chair back to the table. He nodded goodbye to Izumi. Looking over his shoulder to Gloria, he said, "If any of Caine's guests damage the premises, bill him double. He's good for it."
I hate it when he makes me pay for the crap I break.
"That's why you never get Father Day cards, Old Man," I said.
He patted me on the head and went his way.