Kitty Raises Hell

Chapter 22

A frown creased Roman’s face as he studied the house. He seemed to glance at me only as an afterthought, then said, “Usually, a house that stands empty as long as this one has, there’s nothing to keep me out. I ought to be able to walk right in. But there’s something here.”

I stopped on the porch and stared, causing a bottleneck behind me. Just as well. I wanted to turn and tell them all to run, get out, get away from him. This couldn’t be good. But he couldn’t enter the house, the home. Something’s home. A ghost’s home? If the place really was haunted, did the ghost call it home? It made a weird kind of sense. It meant as long as we all stayed on the porch, or behind the door, the threshold, Roman couldn’t hurt us.

“Upset because the ghosts won’t invite you in?” I said. He didn’t credit that with a response. He only smirked at me. Softly, I said, “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been following you. You know that. For longer than you think.”

I took a breath and prepared for a battle of wills. “Oh, really?”

“You saw me, even. In Dom’s penthouse. In the foyer outside the elevator. Do you remember?”

I remembered... vampires standing guard. Part of Dom’s entourage. The one that looked like a linebacker, and... the other, quiet one, with the short-cropped hair, the cold gaze. He’d looked like a bodyguard. He’d blended in.

When he came to Denver with his mission burning in his manner, I hadn’t recognized him.

“Oh, my God,” Ben whispered behind me.

I let anger cover up how off-balance Roman had put me. “You’re more than Dom’s bodyguard...”

He chuckled. “Of course I am. I hold Dom’s leash.”

“And the Tiamat cult?”

His smile fell. “That is a tool that has outlived its usefulness, I think.”

My mind tumbled over itself, and I started thinking out loud. “Dom’s a front, so no one will know who’s really running Vegas, and you gave the priestess—”

“Her name is Farida,” he said.

I didn’t break stride. “—a place to run her cult in exchange for... for her power? Her magic? What?”

“She’s one of my soldiers. Or, she was,” he said, scowling at the burnt vegetation around him. “I’m impressed. You shouldn’t have been able to banish that spirit.”

“I had a lot of help.”

“Trust me, I’ve taken note of it.”

I’d just put all my friends on Roman’s radar. What would he do to us? Rick was right all along, this was a conspiracy. I didn’t want this guy in Denver. But how to get rid of him?

I felt Ben at my shoulder, Tina, Jules, and Gary behind me. Hardin edged around me, her gun drawn. Roman gave her a dismissive glance. His frown held contempt.

“What now?” I said.

“I suppose getting control of this city will have to wait, for the time being.” Now he turned a smile, a smugness born of supreme, unassailable confidence, earned not just by decades of experience, but by centuries.

I swallowed against a tightness in my throat. Inside, Wolf was screaming, howling. Ben touched my back, his hand stiff. He touched for comfort, but it only accentuated our anxiety. His wolf was nearing panic, as well. We both recognized this man’s power.

“Who are you?” I said, my voice hoarse.

“Gaius Albinus, isn’t it?” a newcomer called. “A centurion with the Tenth Legion stationed in Judea. First century, Common Era.”

And there was Rick, standing on the sidewalk, relaxed, hands in his coat pockets, as close to Roman as Roman was to me.

“Roman,” I murmured, understanding dropping like a weight.

“It’s not his name,” Rick said. “It’s his nationality. A very calculating people. They kept good records.”

The elder vampire’s smile turned wry. “The provincial cultures that came after the empire left a lot to be desired. Spain, for example.”

Rick laughed. “I was never very patriotic, I’m afraid. I’ve always been happy with my own little piece of ground, wherever it happens to be. Unlike some people.”

“You’ve come to face me. Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Roman said. But he didn’t face Rick. He kept his back to him, like he didn’t consider the other man a threat. Roman never looked away from me. He studied me, trying to see through me. His gaze made me itch, made me fidget. I clutched the seams of my jeans. He was waiting for my guard to drop, so he could catch my gaze by accident. But I kept looking at Rick. Concentrated on Rick.

“No, it isn’t. I’m just going to ask you to leave Denver.”

“All by yourself? You’re just going to ask me?”

“No. Not all by myself.”

Others appeared. They might have been standing ready the whole time and I just didn’t notice. Like every Master of every city, Rick had his followers. I didn’t know much about the vampires in his Family. There were men and women among them, some slick and fashionable, som³ashvere a little more rough and tumble. But all were serious. Moving toward us along the street, from around the house, from behind trees, they converged on the yard of Flint House. Rick by himself didn’t have the age and strength to confront Roman. But a dozen vampires together? They might.

Rick said, “While I stand, this city is protected. You have no power here.” The words had power. I didn’t know if it was real magic, like what we’d used to trap the djinn in the bottle, or if it was the power of words spoken by a talented orator. But the weight of them fell over us.

And he was right. Roman had no power here. A vampire of his age ought to have been able to cow us all with a glare, but this wasn’t his city.

I met his gaze. Just for a moment. Cold gray eyes, pale skin crinkled at the corners. A two-thousand-year-old gaze. Eyes that might have seen Christ walk the earth. If I thought there was any chance in hell he’d let me interview him on the air, I’d have groveled for it, but I didn’t even try to ask.

“Wolf,” he said, and my skin prickled with the ghost of fur. “He’s right. Roman isn’t my name. But neither is Gaius Albinus. Everyone who called me that has been dead for two millennia. After all this, though, you’ve earned something. A true name: Dux Bellorum. And know this: You will see me again. Remember me, next time.”

He turned away, and my breath caught. Ben clutched my hand.

Roman—Gaius, or Dux Bellorum, or Dom’s Master, or whoever he really was—walked away, down the street. Staying out of the narrow rings of streetlamps, he vanished from sight quickly. Or maybe he just vanished. Nobody followed him. Like me, Rick watched him silently, and continued watching the space where he disappeared.

“Rick?”

“Dux Bellorum. Leader of wars. The general.”

My mouth went too dry to even swallow. The general, commanding his army. When he’d asked me for my loyalty, had he hoped to add me to those ranks?

“Holy shit. I hate those guys,” Hardin said, letting her arm with the gun drop finally. “How did you people get past my patrol? Never mind, I don’t want to know.”

“Are we in trouble?” Tina asked, her voice small.

“No,” Rick said. “As pawns go, you’re too small to bother with. Most of you.” And he looked at me.

I jumped off the porch to face him. All I could do was stare. His followers, a small horde of vampires, surrounded us, all of them glaring like they wanted to take a piece out of me. Ben stood at the end of the porch, reaching after me but hesitating. We all froze in tableau. And I couldn’t think of a damn thing to say.

“I told you I’d learn who he was. It just took a little time,” Rick said, far too calmly. He raised a brow when I didn’t answer. “Speechless?”

“The Long Game,” I said.

He nodded. “The Long Game. The game of empire. Some people never lose the taste for it.”

“What does he want with me?”

“You’ve ruined a couple of his plans, which in his eyes means you’ve thrown in as a player. He’ll be keeping an eye on you. Not like that isn’t hard to do, celebrity that you are.”

I rubbed my face. “Is it too late to quit?”

“What, after all this work you’ve done to make yourself notorious?”

I lost it. Not totally. However much Wolf wanted to Change and run howling to the hills, I kept that part of me together. But I lost the ability to think straight.

“How can you just stand there? How can you be so calm? Two thousand years! Ancient Rome? What is somebody from ancient Rome doing in Denver? Doesn’t he have better things to do? Doesn’t it freak you out that he wanted to waltz in here and take over? And you just stood there and faced him down. Dude, you totally scared him off!”

In the course of my rant, my panic had turned to awe. I suddenly understood why some werewolf packs would put themselves in the control of a strong Master vampire, if it protected them from the attention of vampires like Roman. I could feel myself blinking up at him with huge, gleaming eyes. I imagined it looked pretty ridiculous.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, ducking his gaze, almost bashfully. “There’s a lot to be said for safety in numbers.” His Family, his own pack, were still gathered. Lips pressed thin, he glanced around at them, nodded once. The vampires left, fading into the dark like Roman had.

“I guess this is when I admit that you were right and I was wrong,” I said.

He smiled. “If you’d like. I won’t hold it against you.”

“Gee. Thanks.”

Rick tipped back his head, for all the world like a wolf scenting the air. “I’d better get going. It’ll be morning soon. I want to make sure Roman’s really leaving town.”

“Even if he doesn’t have a place to bed down for the day?”

“He’s lasted this long, he’ll find a way. I used to dig myself a hole and wrap up in a blanket when I was caught in the open. Not very dignified, but it works.”

I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around the image. Urbane Rick, wrapped in a blanket in a hole in the ground? That was another story I’d have to dig out of him.

I looked back to where Roman had walked away, as if expecting him to return with an army of centurions.

“I’m not important enough for a vampire like that to pay attention to,” I murmured. My skin was chilled, and I hugged myself to try to get warm.

“Kitty,” Rick said, a smile hiding in his voice. “There’s a pattern here, and in the middle of it all is you. You draw people to you. Things happen around you.”

“I’m danger prone, you mean.”

“You’re just one of those people.”

“What people? What are you talking about?”

He just shook his head, his smile lingering. “Take care, Kitty.”

He offered his hand. After a moment of hesitation, I decided to accept, and we shook. Partners. He walked off in the opposite direction Roman had gone.

Reality slowly crept back, we started to get on with our lives. Gary went to the van to consult with his camera crew. Hardin, with her cops and fire fighters, continued cleaning up the aftermath. Jules walked around the outside of the house, studying details, looking for who knew what in his quest for science. Tina sat on the steps, cradling the bottled djinn, refusing to let it out of her sight.

Ben put his arm around my shoulders. “I need to sleep,” he said. And yes, he sounded sleep deprived and grouchy. His eyes were shadowed, his skin pale. “Are we done here?”

“I don’t know.” We all had a posttraumatic dazed look. But none of us, even Ben, despite what he’d said, looked like we were ready for sleep. “I’m kind of antsy.” But not to run. It wasn’t anywhere near the full moon, and I didn’t want to Change, however much Wolf nagged me. But I wanted to do something.

Ben raised a brow and looked at me. “Really?”

“Yeah. We just saved the city, you know.”

He rolled his eyes. Not impressed, apparently.

I called to the others, “Anyone want to go grab a cup of coffee?”

“Are there any all-night diners around here?” Jules said.

“Hell, yeah. Detective? You up for it?” I said.

“Only if you tell me what the hell’s been going on.”

“Deal.”

Ben, still skeptical, said, “You think this is what the Justice League does after saving the city? They go out for coffee?”

“I don’t care what the Justice League does,” I said, hooking my arm around his. “This is what werewolves and paranormal investigators and police detectives do.”

“Whatever you say, dear.”

“I need to call Shaun and everyone,” I said. “Tell them they can stop using that gunk.”

“How well does that stuff clean up, anyway?”

I was afraid the answer to that wouldn’t be good.

Then my phone rang. A call at this hour of night couldn’t be good. I pulled it out of my pocket, answered it, and started pacing. “Yeah?”

“Kitty, it’s Peter,” he said breathlessly, like he’d been running. I heard the electronic jangle and mayhem of a Las Vegas casino in the background. “We found it, we figured it out.”

I clutched the phone tighter. “Peter! Oh my God, are you okay? What’s going on? What’s happening? Where’s Grant?”

“Grant’s with me, I found him, he’s got the solution!”

“The solution—” But we’d already caught the djinn. I almost didn’t have the heart to tell him. “Peter, a lot’s happened here since you left. Can I talk to Grant?”

“Sure, here he is.” I heard shifting noises as he passed the phone over.

“Kitty,” said a cool, unflappable voice. “I’ve discovered how they did it. How the Band of Tiamat summoned what’s been attacking you.”

“Grant, where have you been? I’ve been trying to call you, the box office said you canceled your show—”

“I ran into a bit of trouble.”

And I wouldn’t get anything more out of him than that.

“That vampire priestess, I put her at about twelve hundred, tops.” Which still made her damn scary—but not as scary as Roman. “She really did start as the priestess of a remnant of a Babylonian cult dedicated to Tiamat, but her real knowledge is in another area of magic entirely, drawn from Arabic lore. The demon she sent after you is a djinn.”

He sounded so enthusiastic and pleased with himself—rather, as enthusiastic as he ever got, which meant his voice had a little more of a lilt to it. “Grant, I know—”

“She used several strands of your hair to work the spell and bind the demon to you. Like setting a dog on a scent. I imagine she acquired stray strands of your hair from when you were tied to her altar.”

Or when I was sprawled out in the decadent, pillow-strewn lair of the Band of Tiamat’s hotel suite, practically in their leader Balthasar’s arms. All they’d have had to do was pick my blond hairs off the upholstery. But nobody had to know about that part, did they?

“It wasn’t easy, but I destroyed the amulet of your hair.”

This might explain the little adventure he’d been having the last couple of days. The priestess probably kept that amulet very well protected, deep in her lair. Grant would have needed all his talents to accomplish the task and get out of any resulting trouble. He may even have needed Peter’s help. “The djinn is no longer bound to you. It should return to its own realm now,” he finished.

Oops. I winced. Was he saying we hadn’t needed to go through all that ritual? Surely his solution couldn’t be that simple. I’d have to work out the timing—surely he didn’t just destroy the amulet, at the same time we were working our spell. Surely he’d done it a while—an hour or more—before. Which meant the djinn was still coming after me. Which meant we really had needed to trap it.

“Grant?” I began apologetically. “We know. We bottled the thing, actually. We went ahead and worked out this plan to trap it. And, well, it worked.”

He hesitated, then said, “Did you say you bottled the djinn?”

“Yeah. That protection spell you gave me worked really well, and we were able to use it to trap the djinn. And Tina—did Peter tell you about Paradox PI? Anyway, Tina and Jules figured out this spell. They did it by burning my hair—I guess it’s the same principle, they just used some that was a little fresher. We’ve got it sitting here in a bottle right now. I think. It’s hard to tell. If we shake it or something, will it rattle?”

“We’re so not shaking this thing,” Tina said. She was still on the porch, cradling the bottle, like she was afraid to move.

I waited through another long pause. He said, “Hmm. I see. Interesting.”

“Are you angry?” I said.

“Of course not. I think I’m impressed. I’ll want to talk to your Paradox PI friends, find out exactly what they did.”

“I think they’ll be fine with that,” I said.

“And Kitty? Take very, very good care of that bottle. It’s secured? Sealed tightly?”

“I think so.”

“This isn’t over yet—the vampire priestess is still at large, and as long as the cult remains intact, they’re a danger, but I have an idea. Can you bring the djinn here to Vegas? We can dispose of it and its mistress at the same time.”

I’d fly to Vegas on a red-eye for a chance to see that.

“I’ll get there as soon as I can. And Grant—thank you. Thanks for sticking your neck out.”

He said, “I’m duty bound to help. And we’re not finished yet.”

“Yeah. I’ll call you when I’m in Vegas. Don’t get in any trouble until I get there!”

We clicked off.

Ben gave me a dark, suspicious look. “For a minute there, it sounded like you’re going back to Vegas to face down the cult.”

I winced. “Yeah. I’m going to take that thing to Grant. He has a plan to get rid of it for good.” Ben wasn’t going to like the idea. I knew he wasn’t going to like it. We were going to have another fight, weren’t we?

He took his phone from his pocket and made a call. I stared, confused, wondering who he was calling—divorce lawyer? I couldn’t get the question out.

He twitched a smile at my expression, which must have been dumbstruck. “I’m seeing how early we can get a flight.”

“We?”

“I’m coming with you,” he said.

So, we were headed back to Vegas.