Shadow's Messenger: An Aileen Travers Novel Read online

  “How very astute,” a voice said from right behind me.

  I jumped and whirled around.

  No one was there.

  I searched the shadows, for the first time noticing that much of the room was hidden from me. I should have been able to see into every corner of this room as if it was daylight.

  Looks like magic was good for more than turning a ceiling into the sky.

  “A vampire.” I turned again only to find nothing. “I knew Jerry had one on the payroll but never thought he’d send one to work for a sorcerer.”

  Sorcerer? Great. Nobody played well with sorcerers. No wonder Jerry had been desperate for me to take the run. His other couriers had probably refused or made up some excuse to get out of this.

  All sorcerers cared about was gaining power. Things like ethics never really bothered them. Most were extremely powerful and not afraid of throwing their weight around.

  Sorcerers were scary, but nature had balanced that by making them extremely rare. Only about one person in a couple million possessed the gene needed to become a sorcerer. Even then, it required years of study and discipline. Most never even awoke to their power.

  Right now, I knew of only two sorcerers in Columbus. One was assumed dead. A victim of the unknown baddy plaguing the supernatural community.

  Didn’t even know what the delivery was and already I was beginning to hate this gig.

  He had to be throwing his voice or something. No doubt he was trying to intimidate me. I wouldn’t play his game. He wanted to appear like he was invisible? I’d treat him as such. No need to jump and turn for his amusement.

  I turned my eyes back to the ceiling. It went against every instinct I had to deliberately ignore the presence of a potential hostile, but it would be impossible to spot the sorcerer unless he wanted to be seen.

  “Tell me about the job,” I said.

  I wanted the particulars so I could get this run started. The sooner it was over, the sooner I could get back to ferrying things around for less terrifying clients.

  And I would never again accept another job without all of the details.

  There was a long pause. The weight of his regard fell on me, sizing me up as a scientist would a rare bug. I held still and tried to project more confidence than I currently felt.

  “No, I think not,” the voice said.

  I started. “What about the delivery?”

  “I have no need of a vampire. Tell Jerry to send another.”

  My mouth dropped open.

  What? He’d barely met me. How could he assume on the basis of a glance that I wasn’t up for this?

  “Jerry’s not sending someone else. It’s me or no one,” I said. Inside, I was seething. I hadn’t exactly been thrilled about this gig, but I’d be damned if some sorcerer who was too afraid to let me catch sight of him was going to tell me I couldn’t do it.

  The indefinable presence, which had been retreating, rushed back. It was odd, but I felt his power brushing against my skin just as surely as I would have a breeze. It buzzed and tingled. I’d never felt anything like it.

  “If I say I want someone else, he will send me another.”

  I let a smirk show. “Nope. You get what you get. You don’t like it; you can use another service. It’s in the contract you signed.”

  There was a pause where I could feel the presence consider.

  “You did read the contract, didn’t you?” I wasn’t able to resist injecting a little sarcasm into the proceedings.

  The power briefly whipped against my skin. I winced as the sensation edged towards pain. Guess he hadn’t.

  “Fine. Have it your way. I was trying to be nice, but it was obviously a wasted effort.”

  Looked like I’d won this little skirmish.

  “Since the baby vamp has decided she wants to play ball with the big boys, I’ll indulge you. Don’t complain to me if you get broken.”

  “What makes you think I’m barely turned?”

  Did I have a sign on me saying “baby vamp”?

  The voice scoffed. “Please. You practically scream it. It’s in the way you move, the lack of power you project. You’re so new you’re practically still a human. I bet one blow to your heart would be enough to kill you.”

  His hand touched the back of my neck. I whirled only to be met with thin air. Again.

  I touched my neck. The warmth of his hand lingered.

  “Do you want this package delivered or not?”

  “Why wouldn’t Jerry send someone else?” the voice abruptly asked.

  I wasn’t ready for the question and took a moment to answer.

  The voice sighed. “Nobody else wanted the job, I bet.”

  I don’t know what made me offer up the excuse Jerry had given me. “He said everyone else was already out on assignment.”

  He could make of that what he would.

  “The message needs to be delivered by midnight. Denise has the location and item. See her on your way out.”

  I blinked. Guess that meant I’d gotten the job. I turned to go.

  “It is absolutely vital the message be delivered by midnight. If you fail to meet the terms of the contract, your punishment will be to act as my familiar for fifty years.”

  I sucked in a breath. That was a very long time.

  “I trust that won’t be a problem.”

  I could feel the voice smirking.

  Too late to turn back now.

  I smiled. “No, of course not.”

  I wouldn’t let it be a problem. The only way that clause kicked in was if I failed in my assignment. I just needed to ensure I didn’t fail.

  “I hope not. Let me be clear. If you fail, I will make your next fifty years feel like the worst pits of hell.”

  “Guess there’s not a moment to lose then.”

  I strode out of the room. I’d make that delivery on time even if it killed me. My next fifty years were riding on it.

  Denise’s directions led me to a bar on High Street just north of Clintonville. It was a small hole in the wall called Lou’s Bar and had been around since anybody could remember. I must have passed it a hundred times over the years, always with the intention of returning sometime to get a drink when I had a spare moment. I never did and now I had to wonder if that was because of the very cleverly hidden ‘keep away’ charm I could feel even from where I was parked a block away.

  Werewolves. And from the noise coming out of the place, I’d guess there were a lot of them.

  I looked at the address one last time. I was in the right place. According to my directions, I needed to get to the office in the back of the establishment. That’s where I’d find one Franklin Wade. He was the one I needed to sign for the package.

  What could a sorcerer want with a bunch of werewolves? As far as I knew, there were no special ties between the two sects. Werewolves tended to keep away from outsiders. They preferred the company of their pack. I’d only met a couple of lone wolves in passing. Jerry employed one, but the wolf kept mostly to himself so I’d never been able to get any good intel.

  No use standing around debating the possible connection. There was still a half hour before the deadline, but I wanted this done and over with.

  I stepped out of the car and turned the key in the lock. The car was old and lacked some of the modern conveniences of a car made in the last decade, such as manual locks. I wasn’t taking any chances with Cherry.

  Putting my hands in my pocket, I strode up to the bar. Two men stepped in front of me before I could get in the door.

  “Private party,” the bigger of the two said.

  They were both mammoth size, towering over me by nearly a foot. I wasn’t a small woman, standing at five feet seven inches, but these guys made me feel downright tiny by comparison. They were about two of me wide.

  I gave them my most professional smile. “Delivery from Hermes for a Franklin Wade.”

  They shared a look. I waited as patiently as I could, feeling the smile turn stiff and u
nwieldy on my face.

  “Hand it over then,” the smaller one said, reaching for my bag with one oversized mitt.

  I touched the messenger bag and stepped back to avoid him. “Whoa. No one touches the bag but me. You know the rules. The only person who gets the package is the person it’s intended for.”

  “Little human, you are not getting in here,” the big guy rumbled.

  Finally. Someone who thought I was human.

  “Then call Wade out here. I don’t care where the delivery is made as long as it’s done.”

  The smaller one’s eyes turned amber, and suddenly it was a wolf looking out at me from the human face.

  I froze, not wanting to incite him to possible violence. I would be lying if I said a part of me didn’t wish I had just given him the package as he requested. The two of them seemed like fine, upstanding werewolves. I’m sure they would have gotten it where it was supposed to go.

  No. I couldn’t do that. Besides the fact that it would violate Hermes policy, it would be impossible to hide from the Hermes app on my phone which was designed to register delivery to the right person.

  He leaned forward and sniffed, drawing a lungful of my scent into his lungs.

  “Doesn’t smell of deceit,” he told the other one.

  Discreetly, I sniffed at my collar. All I smelled was me. What did deceit even smell like?

  “I’ll go see if I can find him,” the smaller one said.

  The big one grunted and slid over to more fully block the doorway as the small one ducked inside. Sound poured out and was cut off as soon as the door closed again.

  “That’s a pretty impressive sound dampener,” I said.

  The man watched me silently.

  After another moment of awkwardness where he glared at me and I looked everywhere but at his eyes, I said, “Great talk.”

  I checked my phone. I’d wasted five minutes trying to get into the bar. That left me fifteen minutes to make the delivery. I tried not to think of all the things that could go wrong in those next fifteen minutes. Things like if he wasn’t in the bar or if they couldn’t find him in time. It had sounded like it was packed in there.

  The small one stepped out, the noise level rising and then dropping once the door closed again. No one accompanied him.

  “Couldn’t find him.”

  “That’s not possible,” I said. “The directions said this was the place.”

  “Don’t know what to tell ya. I didn’t see him in there.”

  I looked over his shoulder. “Maybe if I could just take a look.”

  I stepped forward only to be brought up short by the big one’s hand hard against my shoulder.

  “Not gonna happen. No humans allowed.”

  “Great. I’m not human.”

  He looked me over skeptically as if to say ‘could have fooled me.’

  The other one said impatiently, “Doesn’t matter what you are. You’re not getting in here. Only pack or friends of the pack allowed. You’re neither.”

  “But-”

  A low growl rumbled from the big ones chest. I shut my mouth and stepped back. Both of their eyes shimmered amber. I didn’t think I was imagining things when it looked like the bones under their skin rippled, as if they were planning to rearrange themselves.

  Holding up my hands, I backed further away. They waited until I was on the street before going back inside.

  This was not good.

  I checked my phone again. Seven minutes left.

  He had to be in the bar. It was my only hope. If he’d left, I had no way of tracking him so I’d assume luck was on my side and the smaller werewolf had simply missed him in his walk through. Maybe he’d been in the bathroom.

  That meant I just had to find another way into the bar. Easy. Right.

  These places always had a back entrance. I think it had something to do with the fire code. There had to be two exits to an establishment of this size. I’d just work my way back there and see if it was as well guarded as the front.

  It took only a few seconds to walk around and find the alley the bar let out on. I crinkled my nose at the strong odor of decay. I didn’t know what they were putting in their dumpsters, but it smelled foul.

  I was in luck. Nobody challenged me even when I pulled open the door, which thankfully wasn’t locked, and made my way inside.

  It was a little surprising, actually. For people who didn’t want any outsiders in their bar, they didn’t do a very good job of securing the perimeter. I expected some type of lookout in the rear entrance given the giants at the front. Maybe they thought the keep away charm would dissuade persistent strangers.

  The smell of blood stopped me. My fangs lengthened as the first sharp tang of iron hit my senses. I found myself turning towards a door midway down the hall as if in a dream. The blood called to me. I could practically taste it.

  I opened the door and stopped short, shocked out of my bloodlust.

  A dark haired man knelt over a figure on the floor. His sharp blue eyes met mine, pinning me in place. I couldn’t move, my thoughts scattered and unable to assemble as his gaze held me spellbound.

  A distant part of me noted the fangs protruding from his mouth and the puddle of blood spreading out from the body on the ground. A body that was currently in several pieces.

  The scrape of a shoe in the hallway distracted me enough to break the stranger’s gaze. The smaller of the front door werewolves stared at me in surprise.

  “How did you-?” His eyes shifted to amber as he lifted his nose to sniff at the air. “Blood.”

  In the next moment, he shouldered me aside and let loose an eerie howl at the sight of the body on the ground.

  The man with the beautiful blue eyes was gone.

  In the next moment, someone grabbed the back of my jacket and threw me into the wall behind me. My head banged hard against the plaster. I saw stars. I didn’t have a chance to do much more than blink before a snarling face was in mine. The owner of that face lifted me off my feet, bringing me still closer.

  Growls filled the hallway as men and some women caught the scent of what was in the room.

  This wasn’t looking good.

  “Murderer,” the half transformed face lisped at me.

  He raised one furry, clawed hand. If that landed, I didn’t know if I could survive. I kicked out, landing a solid blow against his stomach. He grunted, his grip loosening.

  “Enough.” The voice came from the room, halting the half-man in front of me. “Brax will want to see her.”

  My captor turned back to me, a row full of very sharp teeth on full display. Seeing the intention in his eyes, I tried to duck as one fist caught me on the side of my head. Darkness rose up to greet me.

  Ugh. My head felt like an elephant was tap dancing on it. Blood coated my tongue. Please tell me I hadn’t hit the bars and snacked on one of the college kids. The ensuing hangover would last all night. I hated being hung over.

  I opened my eyes to find myself the focus of several sets of angry glares. Oh right. The knowledge of the body and the very angry werewolves came rushing back to me.

  Hah, this was so much worse than a hangover.

  My head protested as I drew myself up to sitting. That must have been quite the blow he gave me if my enhanced healing hadn’t fixed it. By the pounding in my head, I was guessing a normal human wouldn’t have survived. At least not without brain damage.

  Score one for being a vampire.

  I was leaning against a wall in the bar area. Someone had turned the lights on full and the juke box off. At least twenty or thirty people were crammed into the room. Lucky me, it was standing room only. A few even perched on the bar.

  Despite the various hostile glares aimed my way, I found my attention drawn to the man sitting calmly at a table directly in front of me, my messenger bag at his feet. Power rose off him, coating my skin like a warm blanket. He was like a bonfire on a cold night, full of life saving warmth that beckoned you but would burn if you got t
oo close.

  “You’re not human,” he observed.

  When growls met my attempt to stand, I settled back down. Guess I’d be seated for this conversation.

  “Never said I was,” I told him. “Actually, I’m pretty sure I specifically told your doormen that I wasn’t human.”

  His gaze shifted to the small giant from before. The man gave a slight dip of the chin.

  “Did you kill my man?” the alpha asked. That’s the only person this could be. He spoke with too much authority and assurance to be anyone else. Maybe one of the enforcers but I doubted it with the way the pack had created a small oasis of space around him.

  “Of course I didn’t,” I said. “Besides the fact I didn’t even know him, I don’t have the strength to do what was done to the body.”

  “Lie,” the big guy said. “He’s the man you asked for at the door.”

  “That was Franklin Wade?” I asked. A stony face gave me the answer. “Crap.”

  This was not good. My already bad position just got worse.

  “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to sign for a delivery in his stead as Alpha?” I asked.

  Growls rose from the crowd gathered around us.

  The man stood and walked towards me. He crouched and leaned close, sniffing me.

  “Not human,” he growled.

  Claws slowly slid out of his fingertips, gouging the wood floor on either side on my legs. It was one of the scariest things I’d ever seen. Made more terrifying by the perfect control with which he did it and the fierce, ice blue gaze that remained fixed on mine.

  “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I killed your man. Look, I’m with Hermes. I picked up a package earlier tonight with instructions to deliver it to Lou’s Bar where a Franklin Wade was supposed to be waiting.”

  I pressed myself hard against the wall behind me. It wouldn’t save me, but it kept me from curling into a sweat soaked ball.

  “How did you get in the back?” The voice that came from him was human only in the fact that it used words. The tone was guttural and so deep it vibrated in my bones.

  “I walked through the door leading to the alley.”

  “Impossible,” the big guy from the front door said. “We have people watching that entrance. They would have stopped you.”