“And if they’re unwilling?”
“You’re shit out of luck. Like I said, truth potions are super rare and hard to come by. That’s why I don’t keep them in stock.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll take it. Who knows? It might come in handy in the future.”
“No problem. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
“Thank you.”
“Ready to visit the Devil’s lair?” Mac asked. “I can take you to the entrance.”
“His lair?”
“It fits, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
We said our goodbyes to Eve and headed for the door. A shiver ran down my spine. I looked back and found the raven watching me.
“What’s with the bird?” I asked Mac.
“I’m not sure. Eve says she doesn’t see it, but I don’t buy it.” She shrugged. “I want to push her for more info, but I don’t.”
“Clever.”
“You sure you don’t want to move in over my place?” she asked.
“Um…”
“I can tell you’re on the run from something, and this is a good place to lie low. And it’s fun here.” She led me down the narrow streets.
“How can you tell I’m on the run?”
“Like knows like.”
I nodded. It would be good to have friends. And damn if this place wasn’t cooler than normal London. “I don’t know if I could afford it.”
“You can.” She squeezed my shoulder. “You’ve got a powerful gift. You could definitely set up shop with it.”
“There seem to be a lot of magical shops, though.”
“Not a lot with skills like yours, if you’re hunting a murderer. You could be a PI.” She made finger guns with her hands, and somehow, it was charming. “Magic PI, here to solve the case. Or a bounty hunter.”
I laughed. “Let me catch this murderer first.”
“Well, you’re about to have your chance.”
We walked down the charming streets, passing supernaturals of all sorts. My head spun from the variety.
“What was Eve?” I asked. “She had wings.”
“She’s Fae. Without a court, of course. Since she lives here.”
“What does that mean?”
“All Fae are members of Courts. Magical—magical realms located all over the earth. There are Sea Fae, Fire Fae, Unseelie and Seelie Fae. Lots of others, too. If they leave their Courts, they can go a bit insane if left on their own.”
“Insane?”
“Yeah. They need the company of other Fae. At least a little. So a lot of them come here and join the Fae Guild.”
“Eve lives in her guild tower?”
“No. She’s like me—a loner. It’s enough for her to be a member of the guild. She lives next to me, actually.”
“That’s cool.”
Mac stopped, and I realized we’d appeared in another grassy square at the edge of town. We stood amongst the shops and restaurants on one side, staring at the tower on the other. It was situated in the middle of the huge wall that surrounded Guild City, and it was easily one of the creepiest towers I’d seen, black-painted stone with windows of red glass that glinted in the sunlight. The one door was guarded by two huge men who looked like bouncers.
“Which guild is this?” I asked.
“This is the only tower in town that doesn’t belong to a guild. It belongs to the Devil.”
“My vampire suspect? How’d he get a guild tower to himself?”
“No one is sure. But he’s had it forever, and no one dares take it from him.”
“If he’s some kind of criminal kingpin, then why doesn’t the local government do anything about it?”
“Do what? He’s more powerful than they are.” She shrugged. “And no one can prove anything. Most believe he just owns a few clubs around town.”
“Does he do really bad stuff? Like human trafficking and murder?”
“Until now, with this murder thing, I haven’t heard of him dealing in anything super evil. Which is why I’m letting you go in there alone. But he’s done bad stuff—mostly dealing in magic, which is carefully regulated by the Council of Guilds. They keep much tighter control on things in here, compared to magical cities in the rest of the world.”
I nodded. “Okay, I can handle a mostly bad vampire kingpin, no problem.” I laughed, low and surprised. “My life has turned insane.”
“It’s always been insane. You just haven’t seen it.”
“Good point.” It’s not like my ability to read objects was new. “Thanks, Mac.”
“Sure thing. If you're not out in an hour, I’m coming in.”
“Don’t risk yourself.”
“I do what I want.” She gave the last word a lilt that made me smile.
I turned and strode across the grass, committed to my plan. He’d seen me at the murder scene—it had been clear in my visions—so trying to trick him wasn’t going to work. I could still be crafty, but I’d be upfront.
And I had these two handy potions, one in me and the other in my pocket.
The two bouncers glared as I approached. Their dark suits were pressed and made of a tough, tactical material. It was a pretty cool look, actually. Not that I got out much to determine what was cool. My only girls’ night out had been a few hours ago when I’d sneaked into the club with the hen party.
Both men were eerily handsome, with powerful builds and an almost animal grace.
“Reason for entry?” the guy on the right asked.
Inspiration struck. “Your boss wants to see me.”
It was true, after all. He’d called me to him.
He raised his wrist and spoke into the charm there, his words low and muffled. After a moment’s pause, he turned, opening the door. “He’s waiting for you.”
Maybe I was imagining the ominous tone to his voice, but I thought not.
The interior of the building was cool, dark, and quiet. The stone floor gleamed with a dark light, like onyx set with stars. The walls themselves were papered in dark velvet, and the lights were sharp and modern.
A slender woman with milk-pale skin and straight dark hair waited for me. Her black dress molded to her form, looking more appropriate for evening than midafternoon.
“Come.” Her voice was smooth and even. “I’m here to take you down.”
She didn’t call my quarry the Devil, and I wondered if his staff called him that or just people like Mac. My heart thundered in my ears as she led me through the only door in the room, which opened into a beautiful nightclub.
The whole place reeked of money and power, with magnificent furnishings and chandeliers that glittered with golden light. The tables were carved of black stone, and the enormous stage was silent. Though there were a few people in the place, they appeared to be speaking quietly.
Having meetings? Magical mob meetings?
Holy crap, what had I gotten myself into?
Fortunately, none of them looked at me, and I kept my head down as I followed the woman. Despite my posture, I made a point to take in all the exits—three—and everyone in the room. If I had to run for it, I wanted to know exactly where I was going and get out fast.