Shift of Time (A Rue Darrow Novel Book 1) (9 page)

My new instructor appeared pleased. “Before dawn, I will start your training for fighting. After you leave here tomorrow night, you may return or you may not. You may learn to read minds during your nightly routine. Your sire could return and take over your full training.”

I wandered away from him, keeping my back to him. I didn’t care to be reminded of Ian. I just couldn’t understand why he hadn’t called me.

“Have you considered feeling for him on your connection?”

I spun to face Bill and grabbed his arms to drag him closer. “Explain.”

If I weren’t so desperate, I might have thought twice about manhandling him after what happened earlier. However, it seemed Bill had no need to demonstrate his power and ability after doing it once. He didn’t resist me but stood calm in my hold.

“There is a strong connection between a sire and his fledgling,” Bill said. “You should be able to feel him.”

“I can tell he’s not dead.”

“You should be able to do more than that. You should be able to track him wherever he is, and if he is old enough—and I know he is—he can talk to you wherever you are, even call you to him.”

My dead heart hurt, and I shut my eyes. “So wherever he is, he could have called me to join him. The reason he hasn’t is because he doesn’t want to see me.”

When I opened my eyes, I found Bill staring at me. I started feeling like he was interested in observing the musings and reactions of a lonely woman. My problems probably fit right in with his stated goals now that he was no longer a grim reaper. I didn’t care to toss my heart on the slab for examination.

“Teach me how,
please
,” I begged.

“I’m afraid I can’t. I can give you book learning, but I can’t teach you to connect with your vampire.”

“Why? You said you can teach me to read minds.”

“It’s not the same.”

I dropped my hands to my sides. Who knew if Bill was just saying he couldn’t because he didn’t want to.

“Another vampire can teach you.”

“Where?” I demanded. “Here in New Orleans?”

“You don’t sense them?”

I dropped into a chair. “Ian told me to stay away from them for now. He said until he gets back, but I can’t imagine he thought he would be gone this long. Sometimes I’ve felt a little something familiar, but it’s gone in an inkling. It’s as if they too are keeping away from me. I don’t understand why.”

“Perhaps it’s because of where you live.”

“What?”

He didn’t repeat himself. “By now you should be able to open up your senses to detect other nonhumans.”

I shook my head. “Only if they’re close, like really close. I can sense humans a mile off.”

“No, you can smell them and hear them. That’s different. Vampires learn to cloak their presence. Unless you learn to see through that, they can move around you freely, and you’ll never know.”

“Let me guess, Bill. You can’t teach me to do it.”

“I can’t teach you to do what’s not basic to any person. I can teach you to fight because most anyone can fight. I can teach you to read minds because it’s a part of me, and you also have the latent ability. I can’t teach you what’s unique to vampires only.”

“Wonderful. I’ve got all this power and no way to access it.”

“Don’t worry. The longer your sire is absent, it’s likely another vampire will set his sights on you.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good thing.”

“It can be good or bad. Now, let’s begin. The night doesn’t last forever.”

I
landed
on my face for the millionth time and tasted blood in my mouth. Something in this scenario did not feel right. Why was it okay for a grown man to beat a woman this way? Granted, I had opened myself up to the treatment, but still. Where was my nice, quiet life as an elementary school teacher and a mom?

Honestly, I wasn’t clinging to the old job. I had held enough positions now for it not to matter. Motherhood, sure, but not a career. I was a college graduate working for tips. Good tips, but still not my dream.

“Rue, stop the inner monologue and get on your feet,” Bill called.

I frowned at him. “Stay out of my head.”

“Keep me out.”

I wobbled to my knees. “I have a feeling that’s not possible. You’ve probably got more power than I can imagine. Wait, are you the top of the food chain, and when I say ‘you’, I mean all the Deaths.”

A slow grin spread over his face. “Maybe.”

“You’re frustrating, Bill!”

He goaded me forward with the flick of his fingers. “Come at me.”

We fought on. Each time Bill landed a blow, my natural healing ability kicked in, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. With a straight face and often a happy smile, the soul collector gave me everything he had. He instructed me on how to anticipate what my opponent would do, how to avoid moves like the one the stronger demon had put on me.

“If your enemy is stronger,” Bill said, “you must not let him get too close. You’re vampire, so you can take a punch, Rue, but that’s not the only danger.”

“My throat remembers,” I told him, regarding the demon’s chokehold.

“Here’s what you will do.”

Hours passed as he instructed me. If I do say so myself, I learned fast, and I even got a few hits on him. Although I suspect he might have let me so my lagging confidence wouldn’t deflate completely. An hour before sunrise, we ended the session.

“What about weapons?” I said as I watched him use two fingers of each hand to bring stacks together to close the floor space he had opened earlier. “I’ve seen movies where—”

“Forget the weapons for now.”

“Well, darn it. I saw myself cutting down demons with fantastic swordplay.”

“You would likely cut down yourself instead.”

I examined my hands and considered whether they would grow back if I chopped them off by mistake. Not wanting to know the answer, I didn’t ask Bill. The amusement on his face said he’d scoured my thoughts again. I needed to check out a book on keeping Death out of my head.

Bill headed to the kitchen, and I followed. I couldn’t believe he was making more tacos. Where did he put the food, in his leg? “Bill, I need to know how to track something or someone. I have the scent, but I don’t know how to find it unless I stumble onto it. My only recourse is to wait to be attacked.”

He bit into a taco and faced me. In that instant, I knew he knew about the box.
Shoot.
I should have tried clearing my mind, but he didn’t react to the knowledge. Rather, he continued to eat his food.

“You can call a demon.”

I gaped. “Uh, what?”

“You can use a spell to force a demon to appear.”

“I…that seems a bit extreme for me. I’m a conservative woman, and I don’t go in for such things.”

“You are a cursed being, Rue. You must accept what you are.”

“I accept what I am.”
Mostly.

He nodded. “You could get someone else to call the demon. You could stand outside and wait for them to come as you said. If you’re in one place, you probably won’t wait long.”

“What happens if one shows?”

“It’s likely he’ll have information, which he’ll share for a price. If there is a valuable item that’s just been stolen, word might have gotten around among the demons. They talk, and they aren’t loyal unless they are forced to be or it’s in their best interest.”

“What price? Money?”

“Human money is useless unless they are inside a human. They can’t make use of this physical realm for long periods outside of a human.”

My head buzzed with all the new information. “So what does he want?”

Bill shrugged. “That’s for you to learn, but beware that he may betray you before long.”

“You frustrate me, Bill.”

“I’m sorry, Rue.” He smiled. “There’s another way.”

“What?”

“The paranormal underweb.”

“Sounds like sci-fi.”

“It’s real, not accessible by humans.”

“Where can I find it, online?”

“Here.”

“Bill, why didn’t you say so before now?”

“You didn’t ask.”

His answer wasn’t sarcastic in the least. Some information didn’t occur to him to share. Others did. Just when I thought I understood him, I didn’t. We headed into another room off the main library, and I began to think the doors to these annexes appeared from nowhere. After all, I hadn’t noticed the one into the kitchen until he led me there the first time. When we left the kitchen, I had looked back, and it was still there.

In the new room there were two rows of computers. I paused to take them in. “All these for the rush?” I asked, joking because no one had entered the library since I arrived.

Bill sat down before a screen and glanced at me. “What are you saying, Rue? There are quite a few patrons here.”

That’s when I noticed them. They were no more than flashes that appeared and were gone. I recalled Bill’s claim that the library existed on several different planes. People were visiting from the other places but not where I was.

“I’m the only one from this side?”

“You’re the only one from this side I’ve allowed at this time.”

“Because everyone hates vampires?”

“Because most are afraid of you. There have been visitors outside, but I blocked them from entering. They know what that means, and they don’t force it. When you come, you will be the only one here.”

“Well, I’m feeling very unloved.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Please, show me the site.”

He brought up the screen for the paranormal underweb, and I marveled that it even flashed the odd name across the screen. Bill’s slender fingers clicked over a series of keys rapidfire, and soon I perused listings of Pet Wanted, Roommate Needed, and more.

“They all seem so ordinary,” I said, somewhat disappointed.

“Until you realize the roommate is for a werewolf,” Bill explained. “Tough because no one wants to be eaten or for that matter to have their grocery bill quadruple if they live through the experience.”

“Oh, interesting. Wow, there’s so much coolness in this world. I had no idea.”

“Indeed.”

I glanced at the ceiling. “I’m running out of time, Bill. Is there a way to access this information on the regular web?”

“I’ll give you an url to enter into your web browser. The same way humans aren’t able to see this building, they aren’t allowed access to the site.”

“Wonderful. Thank you.”

“But you will come back here to train some more.” He spoke it as a statement not a question.

I started toward the exit, lamenting over my blouse and the tear at the knee of my jeans. I would need to buy clothing better suited for training. “I thought you can’t predict the future, Bill.”

“Your
intent
is to return.”

“Ah, okay. Well, good day, and thank you. I will be back.”

Outside, as soon as I stepped off the property, the building went dark. I smiled up at it, feeling a sense of adventure and excitement. The sensation was the first burst of good emotion I had had in forever. I looked forward to more of what Bill could share. Beyond that, Bill was my first nonhuman friend. Well, I couldn’t exactly call him friend yet. Perhaps if I brought him tacos… I grinned as I caught the wind to return to my apartment.

I
ignored
the bang on my door and the strident voice pleading for me to let her in. Instead, I focused on the message board on my computer screen. A month ago, I had picked up a cheap computer. Jake used the one I had owned previously, and I had sent it with him when he moved with his dad.

Just as Bill said, the website for paranormals came up for me, and after a quick search I found the help wanted ads for various needs, from jobs to information to handy men.

“Tracker Needed,” I read. “No sense in looking at that if I can’t figure out how to track anything.”

I moved on and found other ads for private investigators. There were a couple people offering their services as trackers. Curious, I read them and found both were werewolves. Of course. Their sense of smell must be amazing, and then I laughed at the words in one ad:

“Come on. I know you need my help. I’m not going to eat you. At least give me credit for being honest about what I am. I’m a werewolf. My rates are cheap. Call 555…”

Poor things. I felt sorry for them, but then I wondered if the other paranormals’ fears were justified. I had to admit, I was curious. “No, Rue, focus. You’ve got a job to do. Do it right, and you might have more.”

A kick against the door, and Georgia let out a string of curses. The next instant she assured me she would be glad to see me at her work. Then she called out the address, and another business card slid beneath the door. She wouldn’t give up, but at least she was gone for the time being.

I studied the listings again and spotted the button to add my own. Maybe I could put out a request for information. Then I hesitated. If I did that, I’d have to keep the wording obscure so no one would suspect what I held or what I was looking for. How the heck would I do that?

Over and over I went through the listings and came to a decision. I would place an ad but keep it simple and hope for the best. Doing something was better than sitting on my rump. I clicked the button for posting and created a new account using the email address where I sometimes received messages from Jake. Then I came to the screen for my ad.

“Information needed on a missing shipment. Payment for real leads.”

I frowned at the screen. Okay, that was too vague. I added the date the shipment was lost but held back the name of the company and person it was stolen from. If I got any hits, I would meet with the person, feel them out and decide then if I could share more. Nodding and quite proud of myself, I clicked post and rose to get ready for work.

After showering, dressing, and talking to my precious son, I checked my cell phone and found to my surprise, I had three emails. That board worked fast. Rather than read them on my phone, I sat again at the computer and brought up my email. The first of the replies was a definite no.

“Five hundred dollars, and I’ll find whatever you lost,” I read. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get it back.”

No.

The next one seemed a bit more promising. “Your email didn’t give me many clues to what you’re looking for, but that’s smart. You want to be careful. I’ve been in the investigative business for ten years, so I’m sure I can help. My rates are reasonable. Plus I have contacts on the street. I might already have info on your thief. Call me. Ken.”

I smiled and entered his number into my phone contacts. Just because I didn’t want to ignore the last one since the person was good enough to write, I opened the email. The werewolf begging for work had written.

“If you’ve got access to where the thing was stolen, I can sniff around. Just so you know, I’m a werewolf. I’ve never attacked anyone. I don’t care what you are or what you’re looking for or even if it’s legally yours. I need the money, and I can track a scent to its source even if it’s rained.”

In other words, if what he said was true, my pride in my nose was too inflated. As I closed out of the email, another one popped in from the same werewolf. I read it out of curiosity.

“I forgot to add my name is Nathan Harris, and whatever amount you set for the job is okay.”

Desperate. I wouldn’t call him unless I had to. The less struggle this job was for me the better, and defending myself against a creature myths said was excessively aggressive didn’t fit in with my plans. Besides, I knew nothing of real werewolves and whether their abilities or shortcomings were limited to that time of the month.

Because I had lost so much time already, I arranged to meet with Ken later that night, when I was on break from the bar. That was a good thing about nonhumans. They might not all be nocturnal, but they respected the need for night hours from others.

“I can name a place, or we can meet wherever you’d like,” Ken had said on the phone. I couldn’t judge by the voice how old or young he was, but that didn’t matter.

“What are you?” I had asked.

He had chuckled.

“You’re worried I’m wolf. I’m not, so don’t worry.” He suggested a restaurant, which happened to be Georgia’s. “They’ve got good steaks.”

I had stiffened, and he laughed again.

“It’s a joke.”

“You’re not too funny, buddy. All right. How about nine?”

“You got it.” With that he had hung up, and later, I realized he never answered me about what he was. I didn’t fear meeting him. We would be in a public setting with plenty of patrons and restaurant staff around. Yes, because a waitress or any other human employee could protect a vampire from potential danger.

That night, I took the box with me to the Rusty Ankle. Since Almonester demanded I remove it from the apartment, I was at a loss as to what to do with it. So far, I’d taken the risk to delay moving it, but I started feeling like I couldn’t leave it home or take it to the bar. If he didn’t want it in the apartment, he definitely didn’t want it in the bar.

Still, having no choice, I brought it in the backpack anyway. The bar was crowded as usual with music so loud it vibrated my eardrums. I worried they would burst and put my hands up. How did the others stand it? Then I recalled learning Fae had normal human hearing. Maybe Almonester did as well.

Dizziness assailed me. Surely, tonight was louder than usual. No amount of willing my hearing to turn down helped, and I stood in the middle of the floor scanning faces. Bodies gyrated around me. When had Almonester encouraged dancing? If I ate food, I was pretty sure it would have been cast up at this point.

Something dark stirred in my peripheral, but when I turned my head, it was gone. I pushed through the sea of people, crashed into the bar, and gripped it as if I’d found a life preserver. I squinted at Orin. “What is going on tonight?”