Stone Goddess (Isabella Hush Series Book 3) Read online

  She looked terrified and I glanced at Errol whose eyes were nothing but narrowed slits. A couple of patrons leapt for the scattering animals and collected them the way a contestant in a money booth grapples for dollar bills.

  "You should be ashamed of yourself," I yelled at the server. I kicked the tray from her grasp again and it clamored to the floor. Whatever kittens she'd rescued ran in every direction.

  "Seriously?" I said. "Find your humanity, woman."

  She looked up at me and flashed a mouthful of fangs. She hissed the way a badger might and I startled.

  Errol caught me.

  "Please, Ms. Hush," he said. "You have more important things to consider this evening than a few kittens. You wanted a specific stone. I know who can make it for you. He's very good and he happens to be here tonight. We can discuss the payment later."

  He waved his hand toward the back of the room where just through the murky shadows another bar hunkered against a wall. I noticed another cluster of patrons huddled around it.

  That bar had naked women and men standing against a raised dias all in a row. There had to be a dozen of them in all shapes and sizes, their wrists bound above them by a chain dangling from the ceiling. At first I thought them decoration of a sort, but when a cloaked patron pointed at a petite blonde, the bartender pulled a sharp knife from a drawer and sliced off a bit of skin from her thigh. He handed it to the patron who tilted his head back and dangled it over his open mouth.

  First kittens, now this.

  "No," I said. "I can't do this."

  "Do you want the introduction or not?" He hissed in my ear. "People are beginning to stare."

  I gave him a hard look but squared off my shoulders. I should have waited for Fayed, but it was too late now. Retreat at this point would be fruitless and ludicrous.

  "Alright," I said. "Take me to him."

  We were weaving our way toward a shadowy corner of the room, brushing past servers. Each time I got a chance, I bumped hard into them as though I was a drunken mortal being led to her doom. Kittens spilled everywhere, and I smiled to myself as the servers scrambled to get them back into place.

  "Admirable," Errol said once. "But if you keep it up, I might not be able to take the time to escort you, and that would not be to your advantage."

  I behaved then, and all but went still until someone touched the back of my neck.

  I swung around, ready to throw a punch at whatever had touched me. It was relief to see the willowy Kerri standing there.

  She extended her hand to Errol who took it like the most genteel of aristocrats.

  "I know this little mortal," she purred and snuggled up next to him. She turned her green-eyed gaze to mine. "You know all the best people, Errol," she said.

  He all but preened at the compliment.

  "You're Maddox's prize folly," she said, turning to me.

  I imagined she had mispronounced filly and started to tell her I was no one's prize anything but in one movement, she managed to extricate me from Errol's grip and guide me far enough away that I felt my head clear.

  Someone offered me a drink. I tried hard to emblazon the features of this someone on my memory but all I knew was a smiling face, rows of teeth, and laughter. I felt as though I was stumbling along, blithely smiling in response to comments I would never remember.

  I blinked at her as Errol spoke.

  "She's here to see Absalom," Errol said to her.

  Her features closed down like a shutter over a window.

  "You're an evil little thing," she said to Errol.

  "A moment ago I knew all the best people," he said. "It's her idea, not mine."

  I looked from one to the other, confused. What Kerri would even be doing here was a mystery.

  "Be wary," she said. "A mortal is no match for an alchemist like Absalom. Do you want me to accompany you?"

  Errol rankled. "She has me."

  Her silvery eyebrow raised a notch. "You need me," she said. "Come. Errol can interpret, and I'll be your muscle."

  "There's really no need," Errol said but she cut him off.

  "This mortal helped me get something precious returned to me. I'd be happy to help."

  I couldn't imagine this tall lithe woman being any kind of muscle, but I nodded silently at her and let her go in front of us.

  In an alcove toward the left, a corded off area was swathed in ambient light. Torches lined the wall and gave off a cool glow that radiated like heat across the expanse, and yet the light was flameless.

  As we approached, the headache that had plagued me off and on upon entry cleared. I guessed whatever magic Errol was managing to keep me from seeing his patrons clearly wasn't interested in cloaking either Kerri or the man we approached.

  Absalom looked very human and if he was an immortal, he was ancient. He had long wavy hair with streaks of silver shot through in a way most women would have paid dearly to achieve.

  He reclined on a lounge the color of watermelon flesh with a server who sported short nubs of horns behind her ears. She was offering him a tray of what looked like regular old human chocolates.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. Chocolates I could handle.

  I watched him pluck one bon bon from the tray and pop it into his mouth. He chewed discreetly, behind his hand and then waved her away.

  Then his eyes landed on Errol, Kerri, and I heading his way. He sat up and brushed the front of his lounge jacket. Sparks flew off in several directions as he flicked his hands sideways. He wore something on his hand that was the source of those sparks. I couldn't decide if it was a glove or a web of rings attached to his fingers.

  "He doesn't look so bad," I muttered.

  "Looks are deceiving, little Isabella," Kerri said. "Remember that. He's a shapeshifter of a very rare breed."

  When we drew close enough to see individual features, I realized he had a scar over his top lip as though he had been born with a cleft and got it repaired. Kerri whispered in my ear that I needed to keep my eyes downcast.

  "In fact," she said. "You're far too assertive looking for anyone in here. I've been glared at already by several demons. So keep your eyes down."

  My gaze shot downward to my toes from the sheer hum of threat in the warning. I only knew we were immediately in front of Absalom when Errol introduced me. He tugged me sideways and I stumbled, catching a hold of him to steady myself.

  Kerri sidled next to me, looming over me by at least a head and shoulders.

  "This human is looking for an alchemist to create a stone for her. An amber one with a ruby embedded in its centre," he said. "About yay big."

  I didn't look up, but I imagined his hands were held slightly apart indicate the size.

  "Not just that –" I started to say, but Errol stomped down on my foot. Kerri pinched my elbow. I presumed I wasn't supposed to speak at all. He leaned close to me when I tugged on his arm.

  I whispered the other thing I wanted, the thing that was going to help me take my life back. He caught my eye as he leaned away and I drilled him with my gaze. I meant business. An alchemist? Surely he could do better than fashion a replica.

  "My human forgets herself," Errol said to Absalom. "She knows I'm supposed to speak for her, but she's anxious."

  "And what does this human want with this stone?" he said, but it seemed very clear that he already knew.

  "I believe she also wants it imbued with some sort of magic."

  "Yes," Absalom said, his gaze flicking to mine. "I expect that's why you sought an alchemist."

  He grazed me with his scrutiny and for a second I thought I felt ants crawling up my spine.

  "What sort of magic?" Absalom said, waving his fingers in front of his face as though to show off the special effects of sparks swirling in pinwheel pattern. I chewed down on my lip, seeing it as a sign.

  "The human wants it charmed with just enough magic to make the owner believe he's being repaid whatever he asks of her." Errol said.

  He grunted. "That sort of magic d
oesn't come cheap," he said. There was a pause while I felt his eyes on me. Tension bit through the air and I had the feeling he was doing more than just studying me. He was seeing through me, pulling strands of energy back through and tying me up in a neat package that he planned to store in a safe somewhere.

  "It doesn't look like it's flush with cash."

  He didn't sound impressed.

  Kerri stiffened beside me. "It has done me certain favors," she said. "I believe it's capable," she said.

  He murmured deep in his throat. "Then perhaps it can be of service."

  I wanted dearly to speak up and Kerri must have felt my intention because she laid her lips against my ear.

  "You don't come this far and make demands, Isabella," she said. "You simply agree to the terms. Now be quiet while they work it out."

  I said nothing but kept my eyes downcast. Long moments passed but eventually Errol tugged me backward.

  "Tell it I am amenable." Absalom said and something else shivered in the undercurrents of his voice. Desire, maybe? Anticipation? "Give it my terms."

  I peeked upward to see Kerri's eyes widened, and though none of them spoke, I felt as though some sort of conversation had happened without me. The next thing I knew, Errol was tugging me along backward through the meet and greet.

  This time it seemed as though the waves of crowd parted leave an open path for my retreat.

  I pushed through the curtain the way a drowning woman pushes through the surface of water.

  I gasped.

  I swung on Errol. "What the hell was that?" I said. "What did I just agree to?"

  CHAPTER 7

  Errol rushed me through the curtain and toward the front door, leaving Kerri gaping at me before getting closed off from view by a dozen patrons as the beads swished closed again. I resisted, trying to pull Errol's hands off me and make him face me. He was strong and held me in a viselike grip by the elbows as he pushed me out the door. I struggled. As much as I wanted to leave this place, I wasn't going without knowing exactly what I had agreed to.

  I snapped my arm backward, the crook of my elbow slamming into his chest. I felt his sharp intake of breath as he obviously didn't expect me to attack.

  I retracted my arm, fully intending to snap backwards again.

  He gave me a shake. "All right, Ms. Hush," he said. "You're right. I do have to tell you, just not in here."

  He looked around and over his shoulder as though he thought he was being watched.

  "Outside," he hissed.

  He twisted the lock on the door, running his hand down along the seam of door frame where it met the door and several clicking sounds echoed through the air. Invisible dead bolts, obviously. Supernatural ones that no human could see or break through.

  I rounded on him when we met the outside air. The honking of horns and raucous noise of traffic washed over me and a breeze tugged at my hair. Sweet clarity engulfed me the way a room must feel after being swept of cobwebs.

  I looked over his shoulder to the inside of his shop. I'd left my workout bag and weapons on his counter. I tried to shoulder my way past him, making for my stuff because there was no way I was leaving it here only to have to come back for it.

  He placed his arm over the door, barring my way.

  I peeled into him with an angry look.

  "My bag," I said, pointing over his head toward the interior of the shop. "I left it in there."

  He pressed his back against the door, no doubt because he expected me to push past him.

  "Leave it be," he said. He looked like he wanted to check over his shoulder to be sure it was still there but didn't dare let me out of his sight. "I'll have Cherise bring it out."

  I crossed my arms over my chest, splaying my feet on the sidewalk. I caught scent of something sweet and gummy and glared at him.

  "Stop that shit," I said, narrowing my eyes into irritated slits. "I know what you're doing."

  He sighed. "As you wish." The ticking flicked down over his irises. "Most women love the smell of caramel."

  So I was right. Part of that seduction was a pheromone. What I wondered was whether it was keyed to the individual, like a codex.

  "I'm more of a tequila gal," I said and thought I saw a flicker of amusement cross his expression. No doubt he measured each woman's desire and matched the pheromone scent to something deeply embedded within an individual's psyche.

  "So?" I demanded. "What have I got myself into?"

  I wanted my life back. Though I had no problem executing a heist, and less problem taking on less than honest activities, I wanted a choice in them. I wanted to know exactly what that entailed.

  He wafted toward me, bringing the smell of rotten fish and garbage from the dumpster to my nose. The neon sign overhead, blinked and went out as though someone had struck a switch.

  He watched my face intently, and I imagined he wanted to gauge my reaction to the reality of scents around me instead of his unique blend of manipulation and fragrance.

  "Well?" I tapped my foot on the asphalt, determined to reveal nothing.

  He swallowed, nervously, I thought.

  "Oh, come on," I said. "You're a demon. Surely it can't be all that bad."

  My bravado was disappearing in the face of his anxiety.

  "It's not that the job is impossible for a woman like you," he said carefully. "Just that it puts me in rather...a pickle."

  "What do you have to do with any of it except for the introduction?"

  "Because he knows that in exactly three nights time, I've arranged for a sort of soirée."

  He crossed his arms over his chest defensively, daring me with a double licking of that membrane over his eyes, and I get the feeling that soirée was a euphemism for something decidedly more hedonistic.

  "And?"

  "And you're going to steal something for him from one of the guests, and that puts me in the worst position possible. My party? My responsibility."

  "Then maybe I'll just go as a server."

  I thought of all the little kitten entrées and even though my bravado was creeping back, I didn't think I could do it.

  He shook his head. "The soirée isn't quite the same as what you saw tonight."

  The sound of his voice made me swallow down hard. "Then what exactly is it?"

  He spread his arms out to the side, laying his palms flat against either side of the door frame. A rustling sound and squealing to my left indicated one of the many rats had just ran into one of the mother cats.

  "I'm not exactly flush with power anymore," he said canting his head toward me. "Only about half way juiced."

  "What did I agree to?" I insisted. I didn't give a flying fig how much power he had or not.

  "I'm an incubus," he said. "What in the name of Hades do you think is going to go on in there."

  It slowly dawned on me with horror exactly what he was talking about. An orgy of sorts. I imagined all manner of beast and man entangled in the worst of deviant activities and swayed a bit on my feet. I clutched my throat in reflex.

  "Exactly," he said with a nod as his eyes flickered over my neck. "You got it. But it's not humans who are on the S list. In fact, any mortal in attendance must be escorted."

  "Escorted?"

  He nodded again. But this time there was a glint in his eye that made me want to slap his face for some reason.

  "You will be my pet for the night," he whispered.

  I gagged deep in my throat. "Pet?" I said incredulously. "I'm no one's pet. I belong to no one."

  "How else will you get in?" He sounded irritated at my hesitation. "I can't entrust you to any other, knowing the sort of clientele who will be helping me regain some juice and now there's no question that you must attend. Absalom is quite decided now."

  "No," I said, cutting my hand across the air in front of me. "I won't go as a pet." I imagined leashes and muzzles and decided that no matter how badly I wanted to steal the stone from Scottie, it wasn't worth that kind of degradation or danger.

&n
bsp; He lifted a black eyebrow. "How badly do you want that stone and how badly do you want it magiced? There aren't a lot of alchemists with the power to imbue an inanimate object with the kind of charms you're after."

  I stomped my foot and my fingers bit into my palm as I curled my fist.

  "Not badly enough to let you touch me."

  I was walking away, trying to rack my brains for another avenue to get the stone from Scottie, shiest it onto Maddox and get my pay, when Errol's smooth voice stopped me.

  "He agreed to your request," Errol called out before I made it four feet away. "Velvet pouch, replica stone, and magic, all for that one price."

  I spun on my heel. He was still standing in the door frame, but the light above him had taken to flickering in time with my heartbeat. I caught sight of a girl I assumed was Cherise clutching my workout bag over her head just beyond the door.

  "What price? Serving myself up for a supernatural orgy?" I spat out.

  His brow furrowed. "You won't be participating unless you want to, pet. All he wants is for you steal some little thing for him. He said he's not met any human in all his centuries worthy of doing so."

  I knew the extra was an add-on from Errol as a means to charm me into agreeing. I wondered what he'd get if I agreed. But I supposed it didn't matter.

  The answer to my troubles was right in reach but I needed to have the stone to Maddox by tomorrow. The timing just wasn't right.

  Unless I could stall him.

  "Doesn't matter," I said. "If he can't deliver tonight, I can't help him."

  He sidled closer, all sense of the strange compulsion I felt for him gone.

  "You came to me, Ms. Hush," he said. "I would say you owe me something just for the introduction. It's not every mortal who peeks behind the curtain and comes away unscathed."

  "I wouldn't say I'm unscathed," I said, thinking about the things I'd seen, but in truth, I'd seen worse. Scottie's lifestyle put me in direct optic and visceral view of some pretty nasty things. "And I doubt that was a real peek behind the curtain."

  He grinned and the neon light buzzed back to full life over his head. It sizzled and reshaped itself into the words: you owe me.