Mixed Blessing (Mixed Blessing Mystery, Book 1) (25 page)

Now, as the sensation solidified into an obvious draw on my soul, I could relate what I was feeling to what I had been doing to Norms. Feeding off them. So, something was feeding off me. But what fed off souls?

The devil. Did he exist? Maybe Lucinda's Goddess was taking back what she had given me. Life. I had forgone life, so she was reclaiming what was hers. I couldn't be sure, but that didn't sound right. Not that that realisation helped me here. I frantically tried to think of an out. Anything I could do to fend this drain on my body off.

I tried to reach for my
Sanguis Vitam
, but it simply did not respond. Even though the threat to my safety was prevalent, I could tell my fangs were not down either. The side of me that was all vampire was shut off from me somehow. So that left the rest. What else was I other than Nosferatu?

I reached for my Light and found it with ease, then not quite sure what to do next, I simply grabbed it - metaphysically - and thrust it back down the connection, the line, to whatever was currently draining me dry.

For a moment I thought nothing was happening. Other than the space I was suspended in became blinding bright with white Light. But the draw on my essence continued, in fact it momentarily increased. Then suddenly stopped.

I felt myself fall and then heard the consequent thud of my body against a solid ground. It was cold, concrete I think, and unforgiving. My back ached, my legs felt bruised and my wrists had taken a hammering trying to protect my chest from the impact. Which made me realise I
could
feel. I hadn't been able to when back with Jett, at least not below my chest. Now I wriggled my toes and was rewarded with the sensation of movement. Next my legs and finally my arms and hands. I ran them over my face, down my chest and both arms. I could feel again, I wasn't paralysed, broken across Jett's desk. I was whole.

But where the hell was I?

I sat up and tried to focus, but a dizziness assailed me as soon as I had moved. The world a blurry, hazy, mess of indistinct shapes and colours. None of them making any sense.

And then I heard a groan. A low, male sounding groan. Not Lucinda's Goddess then, unless she appeared a bit butch. There was no mistaking that sound of discomfort for being anything other than a man's. So was it Jett? Had I managed somehow to heal, then fight back with my Light and win?

I shook my head to try to clear it, but that just made the colourful fuzzies swirl around in circles before my eyes. I decided to investigate by feeling alone. I was not going to sit like a wounded duck and await the jaws of the hunter's dog. I had made it this far, I was going to sure as hell continue to fight until the end. Even if I was at a disadvantage and couldn't quite see a bloody thing yet.

I reached out tentatively before me, searching towards the sounds of the man groaning. If I could completely incapacitate him, then I might be able to escape. God knows how, as I still couldn't make out actual shapes in front of me and I had no idea where I was, but it sounded like as solid a plan as I could get.

Finally I found him. Crumpled on the floor, rolling around as though in pain. Exceptional pain. I had forgotten how my Light manifested. When I had used it on Jett, he had enjoyed that pain. I was thinking the groans from the man before me were not in appreciation. So, not Jett.

I reached out and was relieved to see I could focus on my hand. It shook slightly as it gripped the shoulder of the man and rolled him towards me. He flopped on his back with a sigh, as though my touch had chased away the last of the lingering pain of my Light. My vision wavered, then began to clear. Slowly. Tortuously. Until finally I could identify who lay beneath my still firmly gripping hand.

Aliath. The Grey Lord. And I suddenly realised, my rescuer. He had somehow intervened with Jett's intention to kill me and brought me here, which I now realised was an abandoned building. Dust and debris coating the floors, smears of dirt covering the nearby windows. The odd bit of abandoned furniture and machinery here and there, but little else.

And what had he got for his efforts? A blast of Light that brought him to his knees. I felt momentarily guilty and then quickly replaced that with rage. He wouldn't have suffered at all, if he hadn't have been feeding off me. But what the fuck do Dark fairies feed on?

I glared down at him as his eyes flicked open and registered my now fully elongated fangs and glowing red eyes.
Hello, vampire.

"Want to go another round?" I asked with a decidedly patent lisp. I let my growl cover my ineptitude at speaking with my fangs fully extended.

He smiled back at me and licked his lips. I blinked.

"If you continue to throw your courage around so freely I might take you up on the offer." A lick of the lips again and a twitch at the edges. He was amused, even though I couldn't scent a thing it was friggin' obvious. But I hadn't missed his reference to my courage. Dark Fey fed off courage? Just courage? Or more emotions?

I hissed.

Then the next thing I knew I was flat on my back. With a gleefully happy fairy sitting on top of me.

And the dawning realisation that I didn't have a hope of fending him off. Somehow he held me immobile, and by the look on his face, the party was about to begin.

Aliath licked his lips again, as he stared down at me. His hands gripped my shoulders, his legs straddled my waist. I could have bucked and tried to dislodge him, but my whole body felt like it was weighed down with lead. He'd drained me of my courage, which had left me weakened, but not entirely out. But somehow he'd done more than just that. He'd immobilised me beneath him with what looked like only a simple thought.

"Get off me!" I demanded through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I don't think so, little sparrow. You'd only fly away and I would like to have a little discussion with you, if you don't mind."

"Of course I mind, you crazy fucking fairy! You just dined on me!" I glared at him, daring him to argue the point. "I'm not super happy about sticking around for second course."

He smiled, a most charming smile, making his features soften and his eyes sparkle and a breath of air escape my lips in appreciation. He was beautiful.

He shifted slightly above me and it took all my effort not to squirm beneath his body, to beg for more. He noticed, of course, and leaned his face down to within an inch of mine. His hot breath washing over my skin. He smelled of caramel and ginger and I couldn't stop myself from licking my lips. I groaned and for a moment I wasn't sure if it was because I had licked my lips when I hadn't meant to, or because I wanted to taste him. To lick that caramel and ginger right off his plump, red lips.

Aliath laughed, a throaty knowing chuckle and shifted back away from my face, watching with amused eyes as I tried to follow his progress by lifting my own face towards him. I closed my eyes and willed my body to quit acting liking a horny teenager and then ran my tongue over one of my lengthened fangs, biting down hard enough to taste blood. The delicious salty tingle burst the taste buds in my mouth and cleared the fog the fairy had created in my mind. Not as succulent as fresh blood, but enough of a boost to my system to break the fairy's hold.

I wasn't sure how long it would last, but if I had to keep biting my tongue every five minutes, I would, if it meant I could avoid making a fool of myself by swooning over the Fey Prince above me.

"What do you want, Aliath?" I asked, still with my eyes closed.

His soft fingers ran down the side of my cheek, then cupped my chin.

"Look at me," he commanded and my eyes flicked open without a second thought. "That's better," he whispered. "Know that I can make you mine easily, vampire. You have no defence against a member of the Royal Court of
Dökkálfa
. Should I wish it, I could have you any way I desire. At any time. In any place. As often as I choose. And still you would beg for more."

He waited for those words to sink in, his vivid green eyes holding mine captive, his scent invading my nostrils, tempting my taste buds, making me continue to spasmodically lick my lips in order to taste his scent on the air. I narrowed my eyes...

And then spat at him.

"It would be a falsehood, fairy. Nothing more than a manipulation, a fantasy of yours brought to life. If you truly captured my attention, you would know. And you wouldn't need to force me to do a thing." He looked at me with that strange birdlike tilt of his head, as though he couldn't puzzle me through. I smiled. "How do you like me now?" I taunted.

His lips twitched at the edges, but then were firmly placed back in a thin line. His eyes blazed an unusual combination of greens: chartreuse, candy apple, lime. He didn't move a muscle of his body, just sat there, on top of me, in that overtly sensual position and contemplated my words.

"Yet you do not act on your feelings for the blond vampire," Aliath said, breaking the taut silence and surprising the fuck out of me.

"I... I... what?" I stammered.

"Lucinda's vampire. The one you are attracted to. You feel something for him, but refuse to act on those feelings. Perhaps he needs to force your hand? Perhaps that is the only way to get you to commit to an intimacy at all?"

Oh, now this was way too personal to be discussing with a fairy from
Álfheimr
.

"That's none of your business," I said in an embarrassingly small voice.

He laughed for a good few seconds. "Georgia, I have no desire to bed you, but you do have something I want."

OK, so now I was a little put-out. He wasn't attracted to me, then what was the whole
I can make you mine
thing all about? Talk about confusing. And the fact that he still wanted something made me cringe inside. If it wasn't my body, then what the fuck was it?

At that moment he jumped lithely up off me and and came to rest a few feet away. I still couldn't move. I locked my jaw and glared back up at him, from my obviously inferior and compromised position.

"What do you want, Aliath?" I asked again in a firm and level voice.

"Your cooperation," he said, inspecting his fingernails casually. "A bargain."

I hadn't had any experience with the Fey other than what I'd had with Aliath. Which couldn't be called ordinary. He'd interrupted an investigation, he'd appeared out of thin air. His purpose was clear, to ensure knowledge of
Álfheimr
remained hidden from the Norms. The murder case had seemed too closely aligned with fairy machinations, but of course, as I now knew, was not. But Aliath had turned up out of the blue, worked with me - or used me - to determine fairy involvement, and now he would disappear. To want something else, did not sit easy.

But, to ask for a bargain sent chills of foreboding down my spine. I may not have known a lot about fairies, but I did know a bargain could lead to all manner of fucked-up-ness. And that was not just in regards to the Fey, all supernatural bargains were more than they appeared.

"A bargain, you say," I said, after swallowing to soothe my suddenly dry throat.

"Yes. We could be of mutual help to one another, Georgia. I have no further interest in these murders, but I would like to be kept abreast of the outcome all the same." Well that didn't sound so bad. I could easily keep him in the loop and besides, there may still be some unforeseen link to
Álfheimr
that neither of us was aware of. And I had told Mark that I had a fairy contact, keeping Aliath on side would aid with any future investigations I may have to undertake.

Of course, there wouldn't be future investigations. I was getting out of New Zealand as soon as these murders were all solved and put to bed.

"Your skills are unique." He was talking again and I hadn't realised, too caught up in my own thoughts. "I may have need of a
Hundr
from time to time. In order to maintain our continued secrecy in your world, there may be occasions where your skills would indeed help." He paused, looking down at me still lying trapped on the cold concrete floor. "Of course I would offer you something in exchange for this. I want us to be friends."

I'm not sure if he added that last little bit just for the hell of it. Somehow I didn't see the Grey Lord having too many friends. He always seemed to work alone and being the head of the Fairy Police Force couldn't have made it easy to gain people's - other fairy's - trust. So, I just stared back at him impassively for a moment and waited for him to attempt to 'seal the
deal'.

It didn't take long, he obviously coveted my cooperation for some reason. I didn't want to think too closely on that.

"You are having some troubles with your Master of the City, I see. His interest in you is understandable, but also unwanted, if I am correct." He blinked slowly down at me, his green eyes no longer swirling a multitude of shades, but still beautiful, still compelling, still impossible to look away from. "I can offer you a reprieve from his intentions. Say three months? This should be enough for you to secure your own form of safety net."

Three months without Jett trying to make me join his line. Three months without Jett trying to bring me the final death. Three months of Jett not being able to advise the
Iunctio
of what I am. Three months of freedom, to sort out my shit, before I would have to truly leave town.

It was tempting, it really was. But even if I didn't have experience trading favours with a  fairy, I knew there had to be a catch.

I puzzled over his offer, his exact words. He'd placed a time limit on
his
help to me, but not on mine to his. He wanted unlimited access to me, for the
continued secrecy
of his kind in our world. Did he really think I was that dumb?

I did not like the idea of being called upon at any time, as often as he deemed necessary and for as long as he liked. I could have simply asked for a time limit, the same amount of time he was giving me: three months. But he would still have been able to call on me multiple times, at any God forsaken hour of the day or night. I didn't relish that idea.

No, I had to place strong limitations on this exchange of favours, this bargain. What was my help worth to him in comparison to the worth of his help to me? The bottom line was that Jett could kill me and when Aliath interfered just now, it looked as though that was Jett's intention all right. But every time Jett had got close to bringing me the final death, he had backed off at the last second. I'm not sure why I believed he wouldn't actually do it in the end, but a part of me was sure that Jett either wanted my skills as much as the fairy did, or wanted something else.

My death at his hands would be too simple. Jett Vardi did not take the easy road out of anything. Challenge was what made him tick. At the moment I challenged him. Of course that could all change, but I was certain, that right now, Jett still wanted to play.

So, even if I didn't go for this bargain with Aliath, the worst that would happen would be Jett making me join his line. Sure he'd threaten me with the
Iunctio's
involvement, but that would be handing me over to someone else. Jett was vampyre, through and through. He did not share.

I smiled at that thought. All the times I had been cowed by his threats, they had been hollow all along. At least for now. And now was all that mattered. I'd worry about tomorrow when and if it ever came. Right now, my sole goal was to avoid joining his line. It was enough for me to contemplate this bargain, but I would not trade more than it was worth.

"Three months of the Master of Auckland City not being able to force my hand to join his line, to kill me or arrange for my final death. Or to hand me over to the
Iunctio
." Even if I no longer thought those last two were a consideration, I wanted it to be voiced.

"Yes," Aliath confirmed. "For your assistance when required."

I counted to ten in my head, making him wait for my answer. Then, "No."

"No?" he asked, incredulously. "I offer you something no one else can. I offer you your freedom from his pursuit. I believe he had you in the palm of his hand when I interrupted before."

"Maybe," I conceded. "But I'm not prepared to sell my services without restrictions of my own."

"Oh," he said quietly, stepping closer until he could look down directly at my face. I'd been staring at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact, making him think I was at ease.

Truth be told I was a nervous wreck. I had no experience in this type of thing and I couldn't be sure if what I was about to suggest was good enough to keep me safe from ongoing fairy influence and harm. But I had to trust my instincts and I knew the part of me that is Nosferatu, was more experienced in this sort of thing. I trusted my Dark Shadow to intervene if she thought I was making a mistake. She'd never hesitated to do so before now.

"I offer you the use of my skills once per month, for the next three months, in exchange for three months freedom from the Master of Auckland City's pursuits."

"I may have no need for you at all during that time, and then when three months is past, I would have gained nothing from this bargain at all."

"Take it or leave it," I said, finally looking him in the eyes. Letting him see my conviction. I would face Jett without Aliath's protection if I had to. I was prepared to walk away.

Aliath stared at me for several moments and then nodded his head slightly, but I don't think it was an answer for me, more like an answer to himself - some unknown question he'd had on his mind which I was not privy to.

"I ask only one thing," he said, but didn't wait for me to protest. "That we will negotiate terms again once the time limit is up."

I hadn't expected that. I'd expected a trap. Some way of tying me into more than I could handle, but this seemed extremely fair. More than I had expected from the Grey Lord. Even with Lucinda's words fluttering through my mind; her belief that the Grey Lord could be trusted, that he never lied, that he worked within certain rules. That the
Ljósálfar
were the evil fairy cousins, and not the Dark Fey at all.

And to top it all off he had released the binds on my body. I sprang to my feet in a Nosferatu glide, relief coursing through me to be free to move again. My Dark Shadow preened inside, enjoying the sensation of motion. Vampires may be able to effect statue-like appearances when necessary, but we hungered for flight. We were predators not prey. Keeping me immobile had been cruel and his sudden release of my binds sent elation coursing through me, threatening to undo all the good I had negotiated just now.