Red-Headed Stepchild

I crossed my arms. “Right. Do you really expect me to believe the Dominae would hire a mage to follow me?”



He shook his head. “Not the Dominae. Your Hekate family.”



My stomach dropped. “I don’t have a Hekate family.”



“On the contrary, you have a very large Hekate family.” He sat in one of the armchairs, seeming totally at ease while I felt as tightly wound as concertina wire.



“Nice try. The Hekate side of my family disowned me at birth. So, who really sent you?”



Adam leaned toward me, his expression intense. “The Dominae told you that?”



I was getting a little annoyed with the subject. “Even if they hadn’t, it was pretty obvious since the mages made no effort to contact me.”



Resentment grew in my belly like a poisoned vine. Resentment toward my parents for breaking the rules, resentment toward the Dominae for blaming me for their actions, and resentment toward Adam for reminding me of my red-headed stepchild status.



“You weren’t disowned, Sabina. Your existence was hidden from the Hekate Council until recently.”



“Give me a break. Do you really expect me to believe that shit?” I said. “Look, I don’t know who you’re really working for, but I’d suggest you tell them I’m not buying it.”



“And I’m not selling. The truth is your family sent me to make contact in the hopes you’d consider a meeting. I’ve been ordered to pursue this until you agree.”



“Don’t hold your breath, hemophobe.”



He smiled at the insult. “You’ll find I’m a patient man, Sabina Kane.”



I grimaced. Names held power and this mage had just declared a challenge. “Look, dude, I don’t have time for this shit. Now go away. And while you’re at it, keep that freaking owl away from me. It’s creepy.”



I started to walk to the door but he reached me faster than any mage had a right to move. He placed a hand on my arm, causing me to jerk away and bare my fangs at him. He stepped back instantly with his hands up.



“Easy there,” he said. “What owl?”



“Oh, please,” I said. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”



“Sabina, I don’t know anything about an owl.”



“Yes, you do. It’s pretty hard to miss a huge white owl with red eyes.”



His face blanched. “When did you see it? Tell me.”



I sighed, sick of playing around. “The night I saw you at Sepulcher and then again at Phantasmagoria before the fight.”



“Have you seen it since then?”



“Jeez, no. What’s the deal?” I mocked him with a pout. “Don’t tell me you lost your owl. What a shame.”



“It is not my owl.” His face was serious and I suddenly had a bad feeling in my stomach.



“Whose is it then?”



“You don’t want to know.”



“Yes, I do.”



He sighed. “You said the owl has red eyes?” When I nodded, he continued. “According to the legends, Lilith has a red-eyed owl named Stryx. He’s her spy.”



I stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded he expected me to buy this crap. Next he’d probably tell me burning bushes spoke to him. “Whatever,” I said finally. “I’m out of here, psycho.”



I started for the door, ready to pretend this conversation never happened.



“How’s Giguhl?”



That stopped me. I turned slowly, spearing him with a look that should have turned him to ash on the spot. “Oh, yeah. What the hell do you mean sending a demon to kill me?”



He held up his hands. “I had to be sure.”



“Of what?”



“That you were her.”



“Who her?” I asked losing patience.



He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it. His expression became shuttered as if he’d just decided to tell a lie. “I had to be sure you were really the daughter of Tristan Graecus.”



“You’re lying.”



“No, I’m not.” His eyes shifted to the left.



“Look, it doesn’t really matter. I should kill you for sending that hell beast after me.” I advanced on him, but he held up a hand to stop me.



“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said quickly. “Think about it. If you kill me you’ll be stuck with him forever.”



I paused, thinking about the grim prospect of spending an eternity with Giguhl. A shudder passed through me. “Damn it!”



Adam smiled and crossed his arms.



“All right,” I said. “What’s it gonna take for you to send him back?”



He rocked back on his heels, thinking it over. “You have to agree to meet with your family.”



I laughed in his face. “You’re insane.”



“No meeting, no spell.”



“I should just kill you.”



“You are welcome to try it, but you won’t make it an inch in my direction before I blast your ass with a spell that will make Irkalla look like a week in Tahiti.”



“You’re a real pain in the ass, you know.”



He pressed a business card into my hand. “Think it over,” he said. “When you’re ready to make a deal, call me.”



“Not likely.” I handed the card back but he refused it.



“Take it. Even if you’re not ready to meet your family, call me if you have any questions about where you came from or your magic.”



“I’ve done fine so far without using my magic, if I even have any.”



“You have it,” he said. “The question is why would you deny your birthright?”



I’d had enough of him. “Good-bye, Adam Lazarus. If that’s even your real name.”



“Goodnight, Sabina Kane. We’ll be seeing each other again real soon.”



“Oh, goody,” I muttered to myself as I walked away. Funny thing was he didn’t look crazy, despite his wild claims. I glanced at him over my shoulder, and he waved at me. I glared at him before going back into the club. I wasn’t running from him, but instead toward Vinca who was probably worried about my disappearing act. I wasn’t sure why, but I tucked Adam’s card in my back pocket. Probably, I should have trashed it. Something told me to hang on to it, though.



When I finally reached the booth, Vinca was gone. I couldn’t blame her for leaving when I’d been gone so long. I sat down to finish my drink, in no hurry to leave in case that mage was waiting for me outside. The thing was he seemed pretty convincing, or at least he seemed convinced what he was saying was true.



Lavinia had warned me from a very young age to distrust mancies. She claimed part of their magic was in their words, and that they never hesitated using lies to manipulate their victims. According to her, mancies lacked loyalty and integrity. To her my father’s family rejecting me at birth proved this fact.



So, yeah, I found it hard to trust a mancy who sent demons after me and generally skulked around making outrageous claims. But who was he working for? And what did he think feeding me lies would accomplish?



With any luck, he’d leave me alone. But given the way my luck was going lately, I didn’t put too much stock in it.



Taking another sip of blood, I pushed the mancy from my mind to focus on my Clovis project. I really needed to figure out my next steps there. Obviously, I’d have to undergo his initiation before he’d share any of his plans with me. After talking with Vinca, I had a pretty good idea of what that initiation entailed. The thought of letting him feed from me gave me the willies, but I didn’t see that I had much of a choice.



I finished off the blood, which was now warm, and left. The cool night air washed over me as I left the club. I caught a taxi back to the apartment.



I paid the driver and got out, ready to close myself in my room and prepare for a long sleep. As I climbed the steps to the courtyard, I heard a screech echo through the quiet predawn sky.



I stopped and scowled at the owl. He was sitting on the roof of the building next to a TV antenna.



“Leave me alone,” I said. I felt kind of stupid talking to an owl, but I was beyond caring. It was all too much to digest.



Once again, the owl’s screech sounded like, “Sabina.” A shiver passed down my spine. What if Adam was right and this owl was a spy for Lilith? I laughed at myself. Why would the Queen of Irkalla and mother of all the dark races be spying on little old me?



“I must be more tired than I thought,” I said out loud. To the owl I said. “Go home.”



I continued into the quiet apartment, where Vinca had left a light on for me. I collapsed in bed after pushing Giguhl off my pillow. I was out almost before my head hit the pillow.



That night I dreamed of vampire owls feeding on David’s corpse.



14



I’m surprised you need guidance already, Sabina. Surely you haven’t already run into problems.” Lavinia’s voice sounded shrill as it came through the receiver.



I shifted on the hard park bench, trying to relieve a pressure point. The park was empty this time of night, except for a few drug dealers and other lowlifes. They’d make a good midnight snack once I got off the phone. “It’s not really a problem,” I said quickly.



“Well, out with it,” she said. I could hear chanting in the background as the acolytes prepared for midnight mass.



“He wants to feed from me,” I blurted.



Grandmother sighed, a deep inhalation that clearly communicated her impatience. “You’re wasting my time.”



“Can’t I just kill him?”



“Your mission is to infiltrate his inner circle and find out who is spying for him and what his plans are. You will not kill him until you are told to do so.”



I rubbed my forehead. “So I’m supposed to prostitute myself out until then?”



Her voice came through the phone like a slap. “I did not raise you to be weak. Your loyalty to the Dominae supersedes your pride.”

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