Chapter Seventeen
We woke a bit before the sun went down. Josh was sitting up on the couch and reading an old, well-worn comic book. He was freshly dressed in his usual cargo pants and a new T-shirt—black with white text that read ‘I'm going to suck…’ I wondered what the back said. He leaned forward slightly and I saw the rest of the phrase. ‘… Your blood.’ Another ironic shirt for a vamp. It seemed like a warning… that no one would take seriously.
I sat down next to him and turned his comic book to see the title. It read ‘Wonder Woman’ in large, red letters. I cocked an eyebrow. “Really, Josh?”
“What? I like Wonder Woman. She cares about people equally. Fights for them just as fiercely as anybody else. It was an important trait at a time when some of the world believed certain people weren’t worth as much as others,” he added as he tapped the corner of the cover that revealed the date. It read 1959.
“Aren’t old comics supposed to be in fancy protective cases and chambers that control the humidity—or something like that?”
Josh laughed. “Though this one might be worth a few hundred, it’s not that valuable.”
I scoffed at him. Two hundred dollars seemed pretty valuable for a comic book to me. He must have read it in my eyes.
“Well, in comparison, I have a 1941 Wonder Woman that’s worth over twenty thousand. Now that one I don’t pull out and read anymore.”
My eyes grew wide. Was he serious? “Why not sell it then?”
“Cause it will be worth more the longer I keep it. Besides, at present, I’m not hurting for money.”
I wanted to laugh at him, but I refrained. In comparison to Nik, he was struggling for money. Josh wasn’t Nik. He didn’t have the same expectations from life, and maybe that was a good thing. Wealth wasn’t everything, I had to remind myself—but it was sure something.
“I don't suppose I can get some clothing that fits?” I asked in an effort to change the subject. I didn’t want to say anything that would offend Josh.
Before Josh could respond, Emma waltzed in. “I can help with that.” I stared at her while Josh stood up. Emma ignored his presence entirely as though he were a non-entity.
Emma wore a dress I would expect Audrey Hepburn to wear with pearls around her neck. Her hair was done up in an elegant twist that matched the style of dress. It was quite the contrast with the skanky number she had on the night or, rather, the morning before. She carried a small pile of dresses hung over her forearm and a large make-up bag in the other hand. “Into the bathroom with you, sweetie.”
I glanced at Josh, really hoping he'd provide me an excuse. His eyes were narrowed, but then he noticed my attention. An evil grin spread across his face while he motioned for me to obey. I swore at him in my head and hoped he read it in my glare. Josh was nice enough to draw the curtain around the bathroom. In the meantime, Emma started holding the dresses up against my body. She settled on a little, V-neck, green tea dress.
“So… how long have you been with Nikolai?” she asked.
I nearly choked as a sudden spurt of laughter tried to burst through my lips. “Oh, I'm not with Nikolai… ” I wracked my brain, trying to figure out how to cause some mischief. Wow, what was wrong with me? “But I see why you were interested in him. He is a bear in the sack!” While I spoke, she began applying makeup to my eyes. She nearly spread the mascara across my cheekbone. With a quick duck, I managed to dodge the worst of the black smudge.
“How would you know?” she asked through thin lips as she wiped the black off my cheek. I could tell she was trying to stay calm, but a slight tremble in her voice made it clear I had hit a nerve. I had no doubt that she had had other partners during their time apart, but evidently, it wasn’t okay for Nik to stray—not that he actually had, to my knowledge.
“Oh don’t panic. It was just once or twice. No big deal.” I felt like a slut saying all these things, but the controlled anger making her face glow kept me going. “I have no regrets, though. He really knows how to satisfy a woman.”
I heard a sudden crash from the other side of the curtain. Oops. I’d forgotten Josh could hear us. He knew I detested Nik, so he was probably enjoying this as much as I was—or at least that’s what I told myself. I’d better wrap this up, I thought while I pulled the borrowed T-shirt over my head and dropped it on the counter.
“If I stood a chance, I’d go after him myself. Don’t worry, Emma. He’s totally into you.”
I stepped into the dress and allowed her to zip it up for me. I felt her hands tremble against my back. “I hope you’re right,” she mumbled as she picked up the unused dresses and her make-up kit.
Just as I pushed the heavy curtain back for Emma to exit, Nik entered. A quick glance around the room showed me Josh, sitting in one of his matching globe chairs, his eyebrows pulled together and the corners of his mouth jutting down into an uncharacteristic frown. Before I could inquire, Josh rose from his seat and left us in his own room.
Emma stepped forward, the muscles in her shoulders and neck tense as she stomped passed Nik. Like me, he couldn’t get a word out before she slammed the door shut. Nik turned his green eyes to glare at me before following her out. From my place in the confines of Josh’s room, I heard Nik stop her. It seemed safe to assume Josh was nowhere nearby.
“What’s wrong?” I heard Nik ask, though the door was closed between us.
“Her?” demanded Emma, the one word expressing far more than Nik could understand. Her tone was filled with subtext.
There was a long pause while I assumed Nik looked at her with confusion. I felt a giggle build up in my chest, which I forcefully pushed back down. The pause lengthened until Nik finally spoke up. “What about her?”
“You slept with her?” accused Emma.
“What?” demanded Nik almost before Emma had finished her question.
“Ash said that you…”
“Never!” snapped Nik, again cutting her off. After another lengthy pause, I had to move closer to the door, the mirth still fighting its way to my lips. Despite my new position, I still couldn’t make out what they were mumbling. They must have been standing very close together.
Finally, when I heard something that sounded like a whine from Emma, the laughter burst. I stumbled to the futon and collapsed on it, my sides beginning to burn. It had been a long time since I'd laughed so hard.
It wasn’t long before I heard the door open and hard footsteps march into the room. I blinked tears from my eyes and looked up at Nik. His face was an equally flushed color from the rage boiling up inside. He buffeted his way through the room, pushing a globe chair out of his way, and stopped at the edge of the bed. I looked up again, the sight of his holy rage bring forth another guffaw.
Before I could calm down, he grabbed me by the arms and hoisted me to my feet. The next bout of mirth stuck in my throat as I felt his strong handshake with rage. His nostrils flared and his eyes dilated. I felt myself swallow the laughter.
See that line? Yeah, I crossed it—with a flying leap.
“What did you say to her?”
“It was just a joke,” I whispered. I watched as the muscles in Nik’s jaw work as he ground his teeth.
“It wasn’t funny,” he growled. I suddenly felt like he might be right. “You just made the primus of a very powerful seethe look the fool, meaning she now hates and despises you. And the last thing you need is more enemies.”
With this final statement, he took me by the arm and dragged me out of the room. I felt a bit like a small child being taken to her parent for a spanking. Thankfully Nik didn't seem to think that was necessary. I was grateful; that would have been awkward.
We reached the main level of the seethe and stopped in front of the double doors leading into the main room. Josh sat on the bottom steps heading up to the bar, resting his elbows on his knees and his jaw cupped in his hands. We stopped and waited for him to slowly rise to his feet.
And then the silence descended.
“So what
is the plan for today? Epic war against evil? Apocalypse?” I asked after the silence got too uncomfortable. It didn’t help. They both stared at me. I knew what was probably going through Nik’s head, but I had no idea why Josh seemed so angry. Wouldn’t he be entertained by the ridiculous joke I had played? Or maybe he hadn’t realized it was a joke. I shook that thought from my mind. Naah.
“We'll be going after those things she wanted. Sooner she's gone the sooner you stop acting like an ass.”
“You're actually going to get that stuff for her?”
“I owe her a favor. It is not within my power to pick and choose when I fulfill it. Besides, Mikhail ordered me to.”
“Uh… how is it not within your power?”
“I wouldn't expect you to understand.”
“Well, not when you don't explain it to me.”
Nik ground his teeth together, his wide jaw flexing with the effort. I wondered if he slept with one of those rubbery mouth guards. Probably needed to. “She did me a favor. I must repay it.”
“But why does it have to be now, when we have enough shit to deal with?” I just didn’t really see the urgency.
“Because she has asked me to.”
“So just because she asked you to you have to risk all our lives to get her some antiques?”
“YES! It is the custom of our generation and most of the preternatural world. Favors and promises are very important. You don't neglect a favor. You just don't. At the same time, you don’t offer out favors unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“And why not just say no?” I asked. He wasn't making any sense.
“As someone with no concept of honor, I don't expect you to understand,” he snapped back before storming into the main room.
I followed him, feeling sullen and annoyed. Josh shadowed me.
The room was far from full, though a large group of people was huddled near the center. In the middle of the group stood Mikhail and another man. Fear made the stranger's shoulders tense and his eyes flicker around the room.
“I am sorry. But you leave me no choice. You have threatened our safety by your actions. The punishment for such deeds is death,” Mikhail said in a formal voice as he reached for the man's head. The frightened man tried to bolt but ran straight into the crowd of people. Two willing assistants grabbed him, forcing him to his knees again.
The condemned trembled visibly. With an easy twist of his hands, Mikhail tore the man's head from his body. It turned to dust and fell to the ground. Panic flooded through me. I'd been told Mikhail was in charge of this little shindig, but I'd never quite realized to what extent. Evidently, it was in every way possible. He had just acted as judge, jury, and executioner. My life was completely under his control. And though his word was what was keeping me alive, I knew he could easily change his mind and I would be quickly dealt with. Nik would volunteer.
“What just happened?” I asked in a small, tense voice; my fight with Nik was suddenly forgotten in the wake of the man's death.
“That man broke the rules. Mikhail doesn't allow people like that to threaten our safety,” Josh said, sounding subdued though resolute.
His response went in one ear and out the other. What rules? Was I at a risk of being beheaded? Why hadn't they told me about said rules?