Unchained: Feathers and Fire Book 1 Page 14

  “No, you won’t. For once in your life, Gunnar, listen to me.” Nate said, exasperated. “The situation is delicate, and you have more than enough to deal with in St. Louis. I’ll be finished here shortly. Your help here has been valuable, but we’ve got it from here.”

  “That auction didn’t sound… delicate,” the man said, frowning at Nate. He looked ready to pummel someone with his fists, but maybe that was just his muscles. He didn’t sound angry, but he did sound determined. Did Nate work for this man? Danger oozed from him, as if violence was only a heartbeat away. There was something… raw about him. Primal. “Not even considering the news with the wolves and fangers…” he trailed off cryptically.

  “We can handle it. Just stick around until we leave, in case Richard returns. Turn some music on, too. I left some chew toys in the bedroom for you if you get bored.” Gunnar scowled at that, but Nate ignored it. “Once Callie and I are finished here, I’ll head home. We have much to… discuss.” He said the last part guardedly.

  Gunnar grunted, as if that were the biggest understatement of the year. “Fine. But we’re only a phone call away if you need it. Don’t do anything stupid. We can’t afford it.”

  Nate rolled his eyes. “You know me—”

  “That’s why I’m belaboring the obvious, Nate,” the man grumbled as he rolled his eye. He handed Nate a small cloth bag without a word. Nate pocketed it with a nod. Then Gunnar turned, dipped his head at me, and began walking down another hallway deeper into the suite. “I’ll grab my things. Make sure Ashley is ready to go.”

  “I’ve been ready to leave,” a new voice spoke from behind me. I flinched, rounding on her, eyebrows furrowing as I saw a small red-headed woman smiling at me from a hallway I hadn’t noticed. She didn’t look dangerous, not with that smile and those secretary glasses. She was maybe a hundred pounds, but curvy enough to make me jealous.

  But as I studied her eyes, I felt a sense of danger radiating from her. Not directed at me. Not directed at anyone. Just… there. She had a similar tattoo as Gunnar, and subconsciously rubbed at it as she dipped her head at me. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, Miss… Upchurch, is it?” her eyes twinkled with amusement, letting me know she found the name ridiculous. “My name is Ashley. I keep that big brute of a cyclops in line. He’s not potty-trained yet.”

  I nodded, feeling a smile creep onto my face as Gunnar growled something unintelligible in the background. Nate piped in his agreement with the big man, and Ashley flashed me one last smile before turning away. “I better go make sure he’s not chewing on the furniture or marking his territory. See you, Nate. Soon.” It didn’t sound like a request, but Nate chuckled.

  I turned to see him shaking his head at her as she walked past him after Gunnar. “Don’t let anyone see you leave. We’re having an important meeting, remember?” Ashley snorted in response, waving a middle finger over her head in answer, which made Nate laugh out loud. He took a sip of his drink before turning back to me.

  I put a fist on my hip, waving the package at him. “What the hell—”

  “The color will bring out your eyes. Hungry? We have much to discuss.” He downed his drink, and stood, briskly striding deeper into the suite and around a corner.

  I spluttered angrily, but had no choice but to follow him. I wasn’t going to yell at his back. No, he was going to look me in the eyes as I brought him down a peg.

  The smell of savory steak wafted in the air as I followed the sound of his bare feet on the marble floors. “Temple,” I began, gritting my teeth, but cut off as I noticed we weren’t alone. How many fucking people were hidden in here?

  Two cooks were in the kitchen, one plucking two steaks out of a pan while the other prepared a bowl of salad on the counter. They didn’t raise their eyes, but I wasn’t about to cause a scene in front of them. Nate turned to smile at me, as if knowing very well what he had done.

  The bastard.

  I smiled back, showing teeth as I carelessly tossed the package into the corner, near a trashcan. Nate’s face tightened, but he seemed more amused than anything. He clapped his hands lightly, and the chefs bowed. I hadn’t realized that they had finished, and were standing still before their creations, eyes downcast, hands clasped in front of them.

  “It smells delicious. I think Madame Upchurch and I can fend for ourselves from here on out. Go see Richard. He has something for you.” They curtsied, and were soon leaving the way I had just come in. They even murmured politely as they passed me.

  This was ridiculous. No one needed this kind of retinue in a freaking hotel. Why not just order burgers and fries from room service? I wasn’t here to be dazzled by his money.

  I opened my mouth to say so, but Nate spoke first.

  “If I had my way, I’d order a pizza and be done with it. But…” his eyes trailed off, scanning the city. “People expect a certain something from me. Maintaining that perception keeps them from wondering what else I may be doing. And that’s become very important to me lately,” he said, sounding distracted.

  He turned to me. “Of course, I can have them whip up a pizza if you don’t want steak and salad,” he offered. I shook my head slowly, suddenly seeing a new side of him at the tone, as if I was meeting the real Nate for the first time. He held out a hand to a sliding glass door. “It’s a nice night, and they have a table outside if you’d like some fresh air. Or,” he motioned to the stools at the kitchen island, “we can just chow down here.”

  “Outside sounds nice. It’s finally stopped raining.”

  He wandered over to a small open bar, doing something with a spoon, a cube of sugar, a glass pitcher of ice water, and a bottle of green liquor. “What would you like to drink?”

  “I’ll take one of those.”

  He paused, then glanced over his shoulder. “You like absinthe?” he asked, sounding surprised.

  I shrugged. “Never had it before.”

  He turned back to his creation. “I’ll make you one, but if you don’t like it, be honest. I can always make something else. I pay for the whole cart either way, so might as well sample as much as we can.”

  Which sounded oddly enough like a segue into getting drunk. Not his tone, but the words.

  That wasn’t going to happen. I glanced out the windows as he worked. Food did sound good. Maybe not a whole steak, but that smell had alerted my stomach, and it was informing me that it would consider mutiny if I didn’t at least sample the food. And those chefs had taken the time to make it. It would be rude to not eat.

  But it would have to be a quick meal. Sunset was a few hours away, and we needed to get moving before that. With the wolf selling his spear to the vampires, I was confident we would be doing a little staking tonight. We had to be finished robbing the vampires before sunset, before they woke up. I realized for the first time that I was hungry to take them on, not afraid.

  Because someone needed to pay for hurting Father David.

  Staking vampires would sate my appetite better than sampling Nate’s steak.

  I set my Fedora down on the counter. I wouldn’t be needing it.

  Chapter 28

  We finished our meal, casually getting to know each other a bit better. It felt more like a polite job interview than a date, because we had been around each other a handful of times over the past few days. He didn’t press me on anything in particular, and seemed to be purposely keeping the conversation on surface topics, not trying to dig into my past, my association with Roland, or even me personally — like one normally does on a date.

  It was entirely professional, even if it was strained — on my end. He seemed completely content with the conversation, which was baffling, because I had expected flirting, arrogance. Instead, I was enjoying myself.

  I had read up on Temple before heading over here. He was known for depraved parties, raucous public intoxications, and alleged trouble with the law that he always seemed to skate from. Even some trouble with the FBI. Then something hit me. Gunnar, the man who had been here. Tha
t name had been mentioned with the FBI a few years ago when Nate had been accused of something. Gunnar had taken the fall for it, and had been released from the Bureau over it.

  “Do you work for the FBI?” I asked lightly, not wanting to ruin the mood, but curious.

  Nate grunted. “No way. Gunnar used to, but was forced into early retirement. He works at Shift now, but he and Ashley also run a business on the side.”

  I had been wanting to bring up Shift — the name of the school he had recently founded. “He’s a werewolf. So is Ashley. Do you work for them?” I was having trouble piecing together the news articles with what I had seen of the man before me.

  Nate blinked at me, but I didn’t know if it was because of my observation or my question. “You know that from three minutes of conversation with them? Must have run into werewolves in the past to be able to pick up on that.”

  I shrugged. Ashley’s teasing comments had confirmed my initial instincts, but he was right. I had known a few wolves from bad dates.

  Nate set his fork down, leaning forward on his elbows. “I don’t work for Gunnar. He doesn’t work for me. We’re old friends. He likes to mother me. And Ashley likes to mother him. They’re engaged.” He watched me, waiting for any other questions I might have.

  “Okay,” I finally said.

  He nodded. “Now, you wanted to know why the wolf was killed. I wasn’t able to get confirmation, but I do have a theory. Let me back up a bit so it all makes sense.” I nodded, sipping my own drink. It was quite good, this absinthe. Strong, but refreshing. “Gunnar and Ashley swung by to check on me early this morning since I didn’t return to St. Louis after the auction. I told them about the chaos and the strange looking werewolf. They didn’t believe me about the wolf so they tracked his pack down to see if I was lying. That’s how they learned about the sale with the vampires. These strange wolves were very open about talking to Gunnar and Ashley, probably because he’s the Alpha of St. Louis, and although different, they are still kind of in the same gene pool. It should be noted that they repeatedly warned Gunnar and Ashley to get out of town, before they got in over their heads.” Nate met my eyes, underlining the significance. I nodded. The wolves were scared of something. But what the hell could scare a pack of wolves?

  “The pack had originally planned to sell a broken piece of a spear to the vampire at the auction, but the Nephilim’s murder messed that up, because everyone freaked out, feeling they had been set up.” I blinked in disbelief. Had Roland known about this? That a second piece of the spear had been at the auction?

  Nate continued. “The wolf and vampire you met made peace after the auction, and completed their exchange. When Gunnar finally tracked the wolf from the auction down, he found him dead, brutally killed by a jagged piece of wood that may or may not resemble a broken broom handle.” I nodded distantly, following the chain of events, and struggling to hide my amazement. I felt a faint frustration that his friends had been working behind my back, but at the same time, this information was crucially important. “I told you this already, but since we didn’t know why, Gunnar went back out to the wolf pack.” He paused, taking a drink. “They were gone. Every one of them. They took the same advice they gave Gunnar and ran. Wolves don’t do that.”

  “I’ve never heard of a pack of wolves running. Ever,” I agreed. “We’ll just have to ask the vampires what happened. Then kindly ask them for their piece of the spear.”

  Nate smiled at that. “You told me you were attacked by the Demon outside the church…” I nodded. “And Father David was also attacked.” I nodded again, watching him. “I’m thinking they ran from a third party, not the vampires. I think the Demon hunted that wolf down, and finding him without the spear, killed him. And the rest of the wolves fled. I can think of little else that would cause an entire pack to flee their homes. The Demon would have recognized the wolf from the auction. It makes sense. To me, anyway.” He turned to me, waiting for my opinion.

  I found myself nodding. It did make sense. The Demon had one piece from the auction, and could be systematically going after anyone else who had a piece.

  “Looks like we’re going vampire robbing, then. Before the Demon decides to.”

  “I’m glad you agree, because I have a plan to get your Cruci-stick.”

  “So do I. And it doesn’t include a sleazy dress,” I scowled.

  “Sleazy? Did you even look at it?” he asked, smiling. I shook my head. “It covers more flesh than the dress you wore at the auction.” He waved a hand. “The dress wasn’t for tonight anyway. It was a contingency plan. I would have sent it to the church, or your home, but thought this would be less invasive. It matches a tie I have picked out, if it comes to that. A disguise if the opportunity arises. That’s the only reason I picked it up. I’ll tell you about it later. Unless plans change and another one pops up.” He shrugged absently.

  I watched him curiously. At first, I had thought it to be some kind of bribe, or him bragging about his money, trying to impress me like some cheesy romance movie. But he didn’t look remotely confounded at my reaction. Sure, he looked amused, but I sensed nothing flirtatious about him. He seemed genuinely honest about the garment.

  He flashed me a grin. “Although I would recommend hanging it up so it doesn’t get wrinkly. Just in case we do need it.”

  “I suppose it’s a ten-thousand-dollar dress, complete with expensive jewelry?” I asked drily.

  He frowned. “I think the dress was fifty bucks. Ashley picked it out on her way over. And you can get your own damned jewelry. I can critique jewelry, but I have no idea how to pick it out ahead of time,” he admitted, watching me curiously. “Did you think I was trying to bribe you or something?” He leaned back in his chair, frowning. “Well, I guess I can see that,” he nodded to himself, holding his hands out at the suite. “This is all a disguise, as are most things I do. It’s expected of me. And if I deliver what is expected, no one pays any further attention. Like I told you earlier. If someone like me showed up, went to McDonalds, and rented a room at the Holiday Inn, we would have reporters all over the place. More so than now, anyway,” he muttered with a grimace.

  And he was right. There had been a horde of reporters and journalists outside the hotel when I had arrived. Luckily, they hadn’t thought I had anything to do with Nate or they would have molested me for a story. “Want to hear my plan?” I asked.

  He leaned forward, grinning like a shark, listening as I shared it with him. He began to laugh, and then nodded. “I like it. And you have someone to cover for you?”

  “Yep.”

  He clapped his hands. “Good. The manager thinks I’m hosting a small party up here with Madame Upchurch, Gunnar, and Ashley. It’s one of the reasons I had them stick around until you got here, so that Richard would see them here still.” He glanced out the window, then turned back to me. “Looks like we better get started.”

  I nodded, but wanted to add one thing. “No more assistance from your friends, although I appreciate it.”

  Nate studied me, then finally nodded. “I never intended them to help. They did that on their own, out of curiosity with the mutant wolves. They’re good at sniffing things out. He did warn me that they aren’t just wolves. He didn’t know what else, but he wanted me to warn you. In case they come back.” I nodded, wondering if Roland would know anything about that. “If I have advice, I want you to really listen to me. My friends are not without their skills, and sometimes that could help us achieve a goal with a lot less risk. Promise me that you will at least consider it if I bring it up.”

  I finally nodded, conceding. But I could always decline the help. After listening, of course. I wanted his help, but the more strangers helping us out, the more uneasy I grew. Because relying too much on Nate’s help wouldn’t help me in the long run. Because eventually, he would leave, and I would be the one to pay the consequences of anyone we pissed off together. I needed to do this my way. Not out of stubbornness, but to let the monsters of Kansas City fear me
, and not just Nate Temple and friends. I wondered if he understood that.

  Satisfied with my agreement, he guided me back into the penthouse and out of the kitchen.

  I left the package with the dress on the floor, a subtle statement. He rolled his eyes.

  Instead of taking the elevator down, he inserted a key, and pressed a button for the roof. I frowned at him, but didn’t speak. Trust. I needed to give him a little.

  He smiled at my obvious impatience. “I know where the vampires are holed up. I can get us there quickly, and without the gaggle of reporters knowing I even left the hotel.” He winked at me. “Alibi, remember? Gunnar may or may not have let slip that I was thinking of opening a chapter for my school here. To the reporters. Loose-lipped werewolves,” he feigned annoyance. “You should confirm your alibi before we go,” he said, as the elevator whisked us toward the roof.

  I nodded slowly, wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into. Why were we heading to the roof? But I pulled out my phone to text Claire, and tell her my plan was a go.

  I finished my text, and followed Nate onto the roof as the elevator door opened.

  A set of comfy-looking lawn furniture stood in the center of a flat section of the roof, a bottle of wine and two glasses resting on the table’s surface. I frowned as Nate walked up, deftly opened the bottle, and then poured a little into each glass. He held one out to me as he took another. He also had pink lipstick in one hand. “Put a little of this on first,” he said, reading the bottle of wine with a grunt of regret.

  “What the hell is this?”

  He sighed. “Distraction, remember? I had the manager bring all of this up here, because I hinted to him that at some point after my meeting with everyone tonight, I was hoping to dazzle Madame Upchurch with my charm.” He held out the glass. “Paint your lips, and then take a drink. For luck. And so any curious eyes can see that we did indeed spend a bit of time up here.”