“That could be a lot of people. Do you have another description?”
That he was sexy and seemed to be haunting my waking dreams? “No.”
“But you saw him?”
“Not well. I don’t…remember any more details.” And I wasn’t going to share that he’d spoken to me.
“But they might be in your head?”
“In my memories, maybe.”
“I can help,” she said.
“Really? Are you like an amateur hypnotist? Or a police artist?”
“I’m a seer. I can see into your mind. Maybe I’ll recognize the guy.”
“Um…” Was she crazy?
She crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter behind her. “What’s your deal?”
“What do you mean?”
“You seem really on edge. And confused.” She gestured around the bar. “By this place.”
“I mean…duh? Everyone here is wearing a Hollywood-level costume at ten in the morning.”
“There’s a cosplay conference nearby.”
“Really?” Relief flashed through me. Now it all made sense. I liked it when things made sense.
“No.” She laughed. “Of course not.” Then she leaned forward, her eyes searching my face. “But I like you. You’ve got a good vibe. That’s why I want to know what’s up with you.”
“What’s up is that I’m looking for a murderer.”
“And you’ve also walked into one of the few shadow world pubs in town and seem to think everyone is cosplaying.”
Shit. I was clearly floundering here. “Um…”
“You don’t know what the shadow world is.” Her eyes widened. “You don’t know that magic is real.” The last words were said in a hushed tone.
“Should I?”
“You found your way into this bar, so . . . yes.”
“Oh, crap.” My hands curled into fists.
“This pub is a shadow world. In between the magical realm and the human one. What’s your gift?”
I gave her a blank look.
“Your magical gift. Surely you’ve got one. I can feel your signature, even though you should be keeping it on the down-low around here.”
“Signature?”
“All Magica—that’s magic people, by the way—have a signature that’s uniquely their own. It corresponds to any of the five senses. Strong Magica have all five signatures. And you…” She hesitated a moment, her gaze flickering as she inhaled. “Have all five.”
She looked impressed. Also a little wary.
There was a loud buzzing sound in my head. I didn’t want to believe this. It was crazy. But… “When I touch things or people, I sometimes have visions.”
“Oh, clairvoyance. Nice. You must be powerful.”
“I have no idea.”
“Oh, honey, you are. I can feel it.” She frowned. “But you’ve been living your whole life in the human world?”
“Uh…yeah. What other world is there?”
She gestured around us.
“There are bars everywhere,” I said.
“It’s more than a bar, but I’ll ignore that grievous slight to my honor.”
A million questions raced through my mind, almost all of them having to do with this place and the world and me. So many questions I felt like they could tear my mind apart.
No.
I focused on the one thing that needed to be done to keep me alive. It was a terrible thing to learn how to do when you were a kid, but it was the reason I was still here and the reason I was going to solve this damned murder and clear my name.
Then I could learn more about this crazy world. If it even existed. She might be just great at goading people and pulling my leg.
I knew it wasn’t true, but pretending it was helped me keep my sanity.
“I’m sorry about the bar comment. And I want to learn more about this…new world. But I have to solve this murder and clear my name. I have to focus on that first.” I felt like I’d break apart if I didn’t do that. “Can you help me?”
Something unidentifiable flickered in her eyes, then she nodded. “You’re a strange one…”
She was clearly waiting for my name, so I said, “Carrow.”
“Mac.” She stuck out her hand with a grin. “I like the strange ones.”
I grinned back at her, unable to help it. I extended my hand and gripped hers, starting to shake. It was the first time I’d touched her skin, and as usual, I got a read on her. A vision flashed in my mind—the two of us drinking some violently green drink and laughing.
We would be friends.
But then, a strange buzzing fizzled through my head. I blinked, shaking it, and tried to tug my hand away. But Mac didn’t let go.
Her eyes widened. “Holy fates, girl. You’ve seen the Devil himself.”
“What?”
“The Devil of Darkvale.”
“Who the hell is that?”
“Your killer? The man you saw in your vision? He’s the most dangerous—and powerful—man in Guild City. And if I were you, I’d be very careful.”
5
The Devil
A knock on my office door distracted me from my dinner, an unappetizing cup of blood. I looked up as the door opened and the hostess of my club walked in. Miranda was my second in command, and she knew everything that went on in my empire.
She stopped near the door, a courtesy I appreciated. I didn’t like it when people got too close.
Objectively speaking, Miranda was beautiful, with her slim figure and dark hair, but her beauty barely registered on my radar.
No person had registered for me in hundreds of years.
Not until the woman.
“She has entered the Haunted Hound,” Miranda said.
“Excellent.” My heartbeat quickened.
“Shall I alert you when she enters Guild City?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Miranda slipped back out the door, and I returned my attention to the cup of red liquid. I hadn’t drunk straight from the source in more than a century. Not because feeding incited blood lust. It was unlikely, given my strength and age. No… I had no desire to touch another person. And it reminded me of the horrors of my past—of all the terrible things I’d done, of what I’d been.
The Impaler.
That was long ago, though.
This was the present, and it brought with it the woman.
What was it about her?
I’d find out soon enough when she came to me.
Carrow
“Just my luck.” I frowned at the idea of trying to catch the most dangerous man in Guild City. But… “What the heck is Guild City?”
“I can show you.” Mac grinned and looked at the clock behind the bar. “Quinn will be on shift any minute. Then I’ll take you.”
“Could you give me a few more details about Guild City before Quinn shows up?” I prodded.
A tall figure appeared at the side of the bar, and Mac turned to him, a smile stretching across her face. “Perfect timing.”
I turned to look, spotting a man.