Siobhan sighed. “He doesn’t like to brag, which is strange for an Irishman. My uncle is one of the most powerful mages in the universe. Though he turned away from the craft when my aunt died. Couldn’t save her and blamed himself. Bloody crime, if you ask me. Giving up on magic.”
He pointed an accusing finger at her. “Lass, shut that trap of yours. I’m an old man and have every right to retire.”
“Only you’ve been called back into service,” I said, finally catching on to what was really happening around that club.
“Yes. The council asked for my help with a specific spell, and I obliged. I’ve been asked not to talk about it, so that’s all you’ll be getting out of me.” He crossed his arms against his chest.
“I don’t need to know specifics, but there’s something wrong with it. The spell around the club, that is.”
“What do you mean?” Siobhan asked. “Uncle’s magic is foolproof.”
I turned to look at her. “That may be, but from what my mother told me, Bells is supposed to keep evil inside. It’s a way for the council to keep tabs on what’s happening. There’s even a portal within to make sure they don’t have to go outside.
“The problem is”—I faced Mr. McMurphy again—“those dragons from the other night showed up out of the blue. They found a way out and took those women with them.”
“ ’Tis not possible.” The old man frowned. “The exits are bound. They had to have come in from another portal.”
I shook my head. “No. My guys would have seen them if they’d come from somewhere else. One minute they weren’t there, and the next they were. Showed up in the middle of the street.
“I can’t be sure, but there is a possibility the Manteros are involved. They may have found a way, if not through your magic, then around it. I know that the dragons took the women out of that club, because one of the women told me she’d been there.
“The potion you gave her didn’t fully erase her memory, and she knew exactly where they’d been that night. Except she had no idea how they left Bells. One minute she remembered seeing the green dragon, the next they were out in the snow. They must have drugged them and then pulled them out somehow.”
“Doesn’t make sense,” Niamh interjected. She’d pulled her knees up in the chair. “Why would they come out and risk exposure? Why not just go through the portal inside the club so they wouldn’t be seen on our radars?”
“That’s the question of the day, isn’t it.” I knew Mr. McMurphy had the answer. Whether he’d share it was another thing entirely.
We all looked to him.
Deep in thought, he scratched his chin. “ ’Twould be impossible to transport human cargo through a portal inside the club. It would mean an instant death sentence to the gent who runs it. That, and the patrons aren’t allowed to kill humans within the walls. The only two rules, as a matter of fact.”
The gent was most likely Graves. That may have been why he saved me that night.
“So how are they getting outside?” I asked.
“I won’t know until I go there, now, will I?” He moved to the bar.
“No.” We all said it at the same time.
“You aren’t going anywhere near that place, Uncle,” Niamh said.
“Of course I am.” He shook a finger at her. “You know as well as anyone that I can take care of myself. I may be old, but I’m not feeble.”
I stifled a laugh, pretending to cough.
“None of that, you,” he admonished.
“Sorry. I had something in my throat.”
“I say we all go.” Niamh stood and put her leather coat back over her shoulders.
Siobhan started to say something but checked herself. If it were me, I’d probably ask my sister to sit this one out so she could heal, and I had a feeling that was what she was about to do. Of course, if I tried to leave my sisters out of a fight, they’d kick my ass. Niamh didn’t look the type to back down from anything.
“I’m ready, but you two need to know something. We Guardians are not allowed to interfere within the confines of the club.” The women frowned. “Of course, if someone were to, uh, accidentally trip and fall out a door onto the street, then all bets are off. Then we can do whatever the hell we want.”
Siobhan patted me on the shoulder. “Cheeky girl. I like you.”
The walls were thumping, which in the club world is a good thing. The louder the music, the more people dance. The more people dance, the more they drink. It was how we made money.
We stood in a side alley with Mr. McMurphy as he checked the spells binding the place. The magic rolling off of him was more than I’d seen when my mom and Aunt Juliet were working together. His niece hadn’t lied about his talents. That he’d been able to mask that much magic from me made me want to train my senses to be more in tune with anything that made my spine tingle. With Manteros running around, we all needed to be more aware of things, especially people, not being who they really were.
He shook his head. “There’s nothing here that would let an otherworldly being through. It’s tight as a drum.” Reaching into his pocket, he walked to the back door and threw out what looked like dust, except it sparkled and flared as it hit the magical knots.
“My, my, what have we here?” Squinting his eyes, he took a closer look. The dust seemed to settle around tiny black spots, splattered throughout. He knelt down, and I heard his knees crack as he sprinkled another handful of the dust. This time footprints became visible. Only for a split second, but they were there.
“What is it?” Siobhan asked the question on all of our minds.
“Tracks, lass. Evil magic breaking through pretending to be something it isn’t.”
Niamh and I looked at each other and shrugged. Siobhan reached down to help him back up. “I’m not understanding you, Uncle.”
“The lass”—he threw a thumb my way—“said the Manteros were involved. I would guess ’tis their spell the monsters are using. Masks them as humans.” He held up his hand and mumbled some Latin. His hands wove intricate knots, and the air around us moved as if a small tornado had just touched down. “That will no longer be a problem. Won’t be any more shenanigans against my magic.” Mr. McMurphy sounded angry. From the clenched fists at his sides, I figured he wasn’t so happy about the Manteros slipping through the binding spell.
“So what do we do now?” Siobhan looked at me.
“I plan on going inside to have a look around.” I winked at them. “I mean, the council wants to gather information. I should probably try to help.”
They laughed. “I’ll take Uncle home, and then I’ll join you,” said Niamh.
“Oh, no.” He picked her hand off of his arm. “Someone needs to keep an eye on you, lass. I’m not going anywhere. Besides, I can help. If three Guardians walk in, you’re sure to be noticed. The Manteros are not the only ones who can do a masking spell.”
He had a point.
“Fine,” I said. “We all go in, but let’s do it one at a time.” I pointed to the old man. “You, put a whammy on us so that we come off as fairies or something. I don’t want them to know we’re coming.”
His hands moved to his hips. “I don’t think I’ll be taking orders from you, young lass. Perhaps you’d like to ask me a touch more kindly?”
I scrunched up my face. “Sorry. I seem to be offending people at an alarming rate tonight. Please, Mr. McMurphy, can you help a girl out?”
He smiled. “Aye, lass, I can.” He waved his arms over me, and I could feel the magic surround me.
“Let me guess,” Siobhan chimed in, “you want to be first.”
“Well, it was my idea.” I grinned as I slipped through the back door.
CHAPTER 19
The heat inside the club was stifling, and again I was assailed by the varying stench of Fae and other creatures. As I eyed the crowd, it dawned on me that they were all pretending to be human. They had to in order to fit in on Earth.
Thankfully, there weren’t many humans in the packed house. In fact, if my spidey sense was on point, there were only a few in the back rooms. Most likely they were trying to make a little extra cash by getting freaky with the Fae.
I found an alcove close to the bar that gave me a good view of the main room.
The dance floor was packed with writhing bodies getting hot with a techno groove. In just a few days, Graves had already made improvements. The dark purple walls had been redone in a pewter shade that gave everything a silver glow. The wooden tables had been painted black, and theatrical lighting had been added, giving the area over the bar a dramatic wash of light.
While the club looked more respectable, the patrons were no less freaky. Every kind of fetish, hair color, piercing, well, it looked like a good night at my club in London. I’ve always been about flying the freak flag high and proud as long as no one got hurt.
In fact, I made it a point in my employee training that we didn’t judge. No drugs or sex in the clubs, but we were as open-minded as possible.
“Slumming?” I jumped when the voice whispered in my ear.
Graves stood beside me.
“It’s you.”
He gave me that Clooney grin. “And—it’s you. Well, a pretend you. What’s with the magic?”
“I’m looking for someone; go away.”
“What, you don’t want to throw me up against the wall and kill me? My heart breaks.” He put a fist to his chest.
“Ha. That’s how Mira gets her kicks. I’m more subtle.”
He laughed. “Guardian, you are never subtle.”
I shrugged. “How did you know I was here?”
“I sensed strange magic. Had to make sure you weren’t someone trying to break the rules.”
“So you know about the Manteros.”
He held a finger to his lips. “They are everywhere, and they listen well.”
“How did you get involved in all this?”
Casually, he leaned against the wall opposite me. “I certainly didn’t do it by choice. I saw the club as an investment. The day I bought it, your mother showed up with her proposition.” No one ever said no to my mother. “I wasn’t happy with the idea, but she didn’t give me much of a choice. The money this place makes, well, I’ve never been one to turn away from wealth, so it almost makes up for the fact that the council has turned me into a spy.”
“But aren’t you working on the wrong side? What if your fairy friends find out?”
He looked out into the club. “The ones who matter would understand. This evil, or whatever it is perverting the universe, is no friend to anyone I know. If I can provide any service to the cause of good, then I’m more than happy to oblige.”
“So you’re saying there are varying degrees of evil, and you’re at the lesser end of that?”
Sighing, he stood straight again. “That’s not at all what I said. We all have our purpose in life. Though you refuse to believe it, I’m not evil. Quite the opposite. I am one who keeps balance in the universe. Without me, the Fae would overwhelm the universe in sheer numbers.
“I would think, especially since your sister dates the demon king, that you would be more compassionate toward the likes of me.”
“Compassion’s not one of my best qualities.”
“So I’ve seen. What brings you here tonight? I thought you were told to let things be.”
I leaned against the wall, watching. “I’m trying to figure out how the dragons have been getting out of here without being sensed by you.”
That gave him pause. “What dragons?”
I shrugged. “We’ve had jumpers here, especially in this area. The dragons found a way through, and I caught some of them with human captives a few days ago. Looks like the Manteros have been using their own evil magic to mask otherworldies as humans.”
“
Merde.
Your mother will have my head.” Graves’s eyes searched the club as if he were looking for magical clues.
“Don’t worry about it. She already knows, and Mr. M has already reinforced the spells. I’m just surprised you didn’t sense it when it happened.”
“I’d been assured there was no way out for anyone but humans, so I’ve been concentrating on the portal.” He nodded toward a room to the right.
His head cocked, and he turned to look at me. “There are more of you. Oh—” He saw Siobhan across the room and frowned. “Why are there so many of you? You children behave. If you don’t, I’ll call your mommy.”
I didn’t stick my tongue out, but I wanted to. Siobhan caught my eye and motioned me toward the front door.
“Call my mom, and I’ll murder you in your sleep,” I whispered to Graves.
“Ah, there’s the Alex we all know and love. You forget I can’t die.”
I grunted. “You just keep this scum on this side of the four walls holding this place together. The last thing I need right now is more surprises. Oh, and thanks for saving my life the other night.”
He smiled and bowed his head.
Sticking to the outside walls, I finally made it through the crowd and across the club to where Siobhan stood.
“What is it?”
“I sense something. Take a whiff.” She motioned toward the entryway.
Dragon stench.
“They’ve gone, but they were here recently. Possibly before Uncle cleaned up the magic.” She closed her eyes.
I took a big whiff. “Crap.”
“You go. I’ll keep an eye out here.”
I moved toward the door, and the smell of smoke grew stronger. She was right; the scent was fresh. I followed it out into the snow.
They couldn’t be far. I took off at a run, grateful for all the cardio workouts on the treadmill. It had to be at least ten below zero, and my breath came out in fluffy clouds as I ran.
A few houses down, I stopped. The scent ended right in the middle of the block.
It was just after midnight, and there weren’t many people out. I made my way down a row of town houses, pausing before each one to see if I could decipher anything.
Something made my back tingle. They were close.
It took me a few minutes, but I found them in the basement of a home going through renovations.
Of course, finding the lair and getting into it were two different things. The doors were locked and protected by magic. I went around the back of the town house and peeked through the basement window.
The women were huddled in a corner, about six of them, bound with rope. Some had either passed out or were dead; the others so frightened they sat there and trembled. Rivers of mascara stained stark white faces.