Sun Broken Read online

  Mr. Rumblebutt decided to help me with the bathrooms. He liked walking around while I worked, staring at me like some miniature micromanager. I cleaned the hall bath first, given it was the one company used. While the cleanser soaked off soap and scum from the shower walls, I cleaned the toilet, then washed the vanity and polished the mirror. I bagged the garbage, then rinsed off the shower walls and carried the rugs out to the side yard where I shook them clean. After replacing them, I moved on to Angel’s bathroom, then to mine. I finished shortly before she was done vacuuming the living room. I sorted the laundry, starting a load of clothes before returning to the kitchen.

  Angel finished her chores—we were both responsible for cleaning, or not, our own bedrooms—and began making brunch. I washed my hands and set the table.

  “What are we having?” I paused over the bowls. “What do we need?”

  “I thought we’d have sausage cheese muffins, tomato soup, a fruit salad, and Danish pastries. That work for you?” She held up the sausage patties, waiting for my answer.

  “That sounds wonderful.” I pulled out two bowls, two plates, two clear ramekins for the fruit salad, and a platter for the pastries. I set the table, then arranged the Danish on the platter. After that, I fixed myself a second latte and made another cup of tea for Angel.

  The sun splashed through the kitchen window, bathing us with its warmth. I sat down, turning my face toward the sun. The light soothed me at first, but then I felt an odd sting from it, and I found myself moving my chair out of the direct focus of the beam.

  “It’s too bright for this time of year. I’m glad to see the spring but it feels too sudden, if you know what I mean.”

  “What did you say?” Angel asked, carrying the soup and sandwiches to the table. She handed me the fruit salad before filling our bowls with tomato soup. It tasted like it had been simmering for hours, the flavors were so vivid and bright.

  “I’m not sure—I mean…” Even though I knew precisely what I had said, I wasn’t sure why I’d said it. “I feel weird. I’m not sure what’s up.” I paused, staring at my plate. “Maybe I’m just nervous about tonight. I wish Herne could go with us.”

  “You mean instead of Yutani?” Angel bit into her sandwich, then delicately wiping the corner of her mouth.

  “Or along with. I like Yutani. We’ve been talking a lot more lately, but he’s…”

  “He’s chaos incarnate. His father is a trickster, even if he does shift things to help rather than hurt. Yutani always has a restless feel about him. Has he said anything about wanting to take a trip or anything? Lately when I’ve been near him, I keep thinking he’s searching for something and he doesn’t know what it is.”

  “That’s the perfect way to describe him.” I shook my head. “No, he hasn’t said anything. Though…and don’t you say a word about this! He actually told me that if I wasn’t with Herne…” I let the thought drift, looking over at her.

  Her face was blank for a moment, then she laughed and shook her head. “No. Just no. You and Yutani would kill each other. I think you could end up good friends, but right now I can tell you that we’d have to drag the river if you two got involved.”

  I nodded. “I know. If Yutani and I were together, we’d either burn each other to a crisp, or we’d blow it all sky-high. He likes to control the relationship, and I won’t be controlled. Not that way.” I bit into my sandwich and then began spooning the soup into my mouth.

  We ate in comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds those of the traffic outside, and of Mr. Rumblebutt playing with one of his squeaky toys. He brought it to me and dropped it at my feet. The toy was a stuffed squirrel that squeaked when you shook it, and I picked it up and threw it down the hallway for him. He raced to it, bringing it back again.

  We played fetch while I ate. Angel and I seemed to be in a similar mood, because we ate in a comfortable silence. But the staccato tick of the grandfather clock reminded me that tonight, I’d be deep into the Catacombs, looking for a murderer. Once again, the feeling of foreboding cast a pall over my mood, but this time I let myself drift in the sensation, not fighting, but only observing.

  Chapter Twelve

  I called Yutani from the grocery store. Except for the remains of last night’s dinner, the cupboards were bare and I had told Angel I’d do the shopping if she would weed the raised vegetable beds we had planted.

  “I’m not sure if I should dress as usual, or in some leather bondage gear, or a Love Shed nightgown with peekaboo nipple tassels.” I prayed he wouldn’t suggest the latter two.

  “Black mini-dress, low cut. I’ll bring a collar for you—don’t ask, it won’t hurt.” He sounded like he was enjoying this a bit too much. “Wear flats. Stilettos would be more appropriate, but if we have to run, I don’t want you stumbling. Also, while the dress should show off all your assets, make sure it doesn’t slow you down by being too tight, and make sure your tattoo is covered.”

  I felt better. That Yutani was considering my safety made the whole endeavor more bearable. “Anything else? What about weapons?”

  “They have a metal detector at the door. You can’t bring in anything like a dagger. We’re going to have to watch our step in there, and make certain we don’t engage in a situation likely to blow up in our faces, because we’re going in unarmed.” He paused, then added, “Remember to leave the silver at home, out of courtesy to the vamps.”

  “Right, I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “I’d take my whip as part of my costume, but I doubt they’d allow it in.” Yutani’s father—the Great Coyote—had given him a whip as a present. We weren’t sure all that it was capable of, but it was woven with ilithiniam in it—a silvery blue metal that was magical in nature and difficult to find. The dwarves were able to dig deep enough to mine it, but it might as well have been a myth to most people. Great Coyote had woven the metal into thin strands, and plaited it into the braided whip as he made it.

  “I wish you could. For what it’s worth, Raven and I will have our magical abilities. Speaking of which, she’ll be at my place at five p.m. See you then.”

  I hung up, mentally running over the clothes in my closet as I added various cheeses to the cart. We needed just about everything, so I made a clean sweep of the supermarket, piling the cart high. I added the frozen goods at the end—ice cream and frozen veggies and several heat-and-serve meals for when we were too tired to cook. Then, with one last stop in the cat food aisle for litter and food, I headed to the checkout stand. Three hundred and fifty dollars later, I transferred the groceries into my car and headed home.

  Angel was mowing the front lawn and as I pulled into the driveway, she met me at the car, helping me carry the groceries in.

  “Yutani wants me to wear a black mini-dress and flats tonight. I don’t think I have a black mini-dress. I guess I have to go shopping, right? Except I really don’t want to.” I frowned at the bread as I handed it to Angel, who was putting the food away as I unpacked the bags.

  “You should call Raven. Though she’s a little curvier than you, you can still wear some of her clothes. I bet she has something like that.”

  “Good idea,” I said, pulling out my phone. When Raven answered, I explained what I needed and she affirmed that she had a couple outfits that might work.

  “I’ll bring them with me when I come over. I’ll come a little early so we can go shopping if what I bring isn’t quite right.”

  “Sounds good. See you at around four-ish?”

  “Let’s make it three-thirty.” She signed off and I went back to helping Angel put away the groceries.

  Raven had left Raj at home, but Kipa was with her, obviously as reluctant as Herne was about us going. To my surprise, Herne showed up with Yutani.

  “I managed to free some time, but I’ll have to leave in half an hour,” he said, looking grim.

  “Come on,” Raven said, motioning to the stairs. “Let’s try these on you.”

  I followed her up the stairs, leaving
Angel and the men to talk. We closed the door to my bedroom and Raven laid out the dresses on the bed. She had found three. One was a mini-dress, all right—a wiggle dress. It had a plunging square neckline and long sleeves that would cover up my tattoo. The second looked suspiciously like a chemise with spaghetti straps. And the third was a black cocktail dress that looked a little too formal.

  “I think the first would be best,” I said. “That way, my tattoo will be covered. Though I’m not looking forward trying to get into it.”

  “Good point. Here, I brought some ballet flats that have velvet ankle ribbons. These should work with the dress.” She set them beside the wiggle dress and they looked like a good match. “Take off your clothes. You’ll want to go commando, because anything you wear underneath will show.”

  I grimaced. “I don’t usually go without underwear. What about my bra? Gravity isn’t pretty, you know.”

  “Well, the dress is tight enough that it should act like a support system. It does for me. Here, strip and hold your hands up and I’ll help get it over your head.” She motioned for me to undress. “Hey, Wager called me this morning. He found out a few more things, but I’d rather tell you and Yutani together.”

  “All right, we can discuss it when we get to Charlie’s.” I tossed my jeans and tank on the bed. Reluctantly, I took off my underwear and bra and held my arms up. I wasn’t self-conscious. Nudity among the Fae wasn’t all that important.

  Raven slid the dress over my head and I poked my arms through the sleeves. She scrunched the material like you do with pantyhose, and then tugged it over my boobs while I shifted them so they wouldn’t be flattened against my chest. She was right—the material held them in place, though I could clearly see my nipples. Finally, the dress was down to my waist and while she tugged on the back, I tugged on the front. It barely reached my upper thighs, but I wasn’t worried about it riding up. Even my corsets didn’t feel this snug. I might as well be wearing a body-length girdle.

  “Crap, this dress is making me claustrophobic.” I glanced in the mirror. Every curve of my body was accentuated beneath the side ruching. “I feel more naked than I did without my clothes.”

  She bit her lip, staring at me for a moment. “You look more naked, to be honest. It works on you, though, and it’s perfect for where we’re going.” She walked me over to the mirror.

  The dress was low cut, the wide square neck barely skimming my nipples. The sleeves came down to my wrists, and the material clung to my hips. I was aware of every single inch of my body, especially the fact that I wasn’t wearing underwear. The dress was sex on a hanger.

  “Wow.” I stared at myself, unable to pry my gaze away from my reflection. “I’m…”

  “Hot. Sizzling. Here, sit down.”

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Just keep your legs together when you do.” She guided me onto my vanity bench and I pressed my knees together. Raven undid my ponytail, brushing my long locks and using a curling iron to give the waves even more curl. They fell around my shoulders, cascading down my back. Raven pinned one side back with a red rose barrette.

  “You should do your makeup. Lay it on a little thick.” She joined me on the bench, leaning forward to check her own face. Raven was wearing a purple PVC corset, a black multilayered skirt with petticoat, a low-slung black belt, and a pair of gold hoop earrings.

  “You look great.”

  “Let’s hope I can worm my way into the Spooks, or the evening might be a complete bust.” She touched up her eyeliner, which was thick and cat-winged to the sides. As she brushed her hair, the purple highlights shimmered under the light.

  I tucked my phone, one credit card, and fifty bucks in cash into a small clutch and slipped into the flats, struggling to place my foot on the edge of the bed in order to tie them up. Raven had me sit down again and she knelt, wrapping the ribbons around my ankles and tying them securely for me.

  “Ready?” I asked Raven.

  She nodded. “Not really, but let’s go. Oh, you aren’t carrying silver on you, are you?”

  “No, why?” Then I stopped. “Oh, right. The vamps.”

  Herne took one look at me and tried to veto the mission, but with all of us arguing against him, he finally caved.

  Yutani fastened a leather collar around my throat. It was studded with stainless steel spikes and a gold O-ring at the throat. I cringed, but it identified me as having an owner.

  Finally, we made it out the door and on the way to Charlie’s apartment. It was nearly six p.m., so we had plenty of time. According to Amy’s information, the Spooks met around nine, and we didn’t want to arrive early in case something gave us away.

  We had first met Charlie Darren on a case. Herne had hired him out of pity, I had the feeling, but it had turned out to be a good thing. Charlie was brilliant with numbers.

  His sire had been killed by the vamps themselves due to his rogue nature, so Charlie was left adrift without a sponsor in the Vampire Nation, which was pretty much akin to being an orphan in a college frat house that only accepted legacies.

  Charlie hadn’t embraced his vampire lifestyle, but his parents had disowned him, his girlfriend had left him, and he had agonized over having to drop out of college.

  He had wanted to be an accountant. Now that he worked for the Wild Hunt, Herne had decided to pay his way through night school, so he was training to become a CPA. Once he graduated, he would take over the business end of things as a way of repaying Herne. Charlie came into the office during the evenings, since vamps couldn’t walk out under the daylight, and he often showed up at our parties. He and Viktor were friendly and they hung out together.

  “At least he lives in a better place than that rat-infested slum we first found him in,” I muttered.

  “That he does,” Yutani said. “And he now has the most important thing he could have.”

  “What’s that?” asked Raven, from the back seat.

  “Hope. I think that if more vampires didn’t feel so hopeless, they’d be less dangerous and more capable of keeping themselves in check. Look how well most of the bankers do.”

  “Yeah,” I said, “but you forget one thing. A lot of those bankers can easily hire somebody to take care of their enemies. They can exact all the revenge they want and get away with it.”

  “Say what you will, I maintain that’s different than a vampire who destroys out of despair.” Yutani turned into a parking garage on 27th Place West. The Invest, a five-story building, was gated, with a doorman in front, and a pair of guards who met the elevators coming up from the garage. Residents and visitors had to transfer to an internal elevator system at the main lobby. The building was high security and high tech—the first of its kind in Seattle, built specifically for vampires.

  The windows were all tinted and each apartment sported blackout curtains that completely prevented the light from entering. The windows were also barred, though the bars were like shutters that could be opened only from inside. Each apartment contained a reinforced safe room, without windows, that could be locked from inside. Charlie hadn’t been able to afford much beyond a dive until he came to work for us, but now he had managed to secure one of the apartments at the Invest. Most vampires preferred to live down in the Catacombs, but some, like Charlie who wasn’t deeply rooted in the vampire community, still preferred to be aboveground.

  Yutani pulled into the visitor parking section and we headed over to the elevator. The ride was smooth—whoever had built the apartment building had made certain it was comfortable from the elevators on up. As the doors opened, a security guard gave us the once-over. He was human, pure brawn, and he carried an all too lethal-looking gun. He was wearing a security uniform, and he held up his hand as we stepped into the lobby.

  “What business do you have here?” His gaze slid over both Raven and me before moving suspiciously to Yutani.

  “A coworker and friend lives here. He’s expecting us. Charlie Darren.” I straightened, meeting his gaze. “My nam
e is Ember, this is Raven, and Yutani. Please let him know we’re here.”

  “Take a seat over there.” The guard pointed to a low banquette against the wall beside the elevator. We waited there while he pulled out his cell phone and made a call. A moment later, he jerked his thumb toward an elevator on the opposite wall. “Go ahead. He’s waiting for you.” He still looked dour, but that wasn’t our problem.

  We filed into the elevator and I punched the button for the third floor. As we began to ascend, I relaxed. “I’m glad Charlie found a good place, but honestly, the guard gave me the creeps.”

  “That’s what he’s supposed to do—intimidate. Anyway, we won’t be here long.” Yutani glanced at his phone. “It’s quarter of seven. We’ll leave by eight, because it will take us awhile to make it through the Catacombs to Fire & Fang.”

  Charlie was waiting for us at the door. He was not your typical vamp, at least in looks. Charlie’s hair skimmed the top of his shoulders, and he was lanky and lean. He had learned to dress better—instead of an old polo shirt and torn jeans that rode too low on his hips, he was wearing a V-neck sweater and a pair of crisp jeans that fit him perfectly. He had gotten rid of the glasses, which had been purely for show after he was turned, and he looked more comfortable in his skin.

  He was holding a bottle of blood and he swung the door wide as we approached. “Come in. I just made a batch of homemade bread, since I knew you’d be coming.”

  Vampires could eat, if they wanted to, but most lost their taste for food as it did nothing for them physically. They needed blood to survive, and Charlie preferred to buy bottled blood rather than get it fresh from the vein. He really didn’t have the stomach to be a vampire, though he did feel the urge to feed, but he was so angsty over it that I doubt if he had ever fed off anybody.

  We sat around the table, accepting warm fresh bread and ice-cold milk. It made for a surprisingly good snack. I didn’t eat or drink much, though. My dress was so tight that I worried about getting it back down over my hips if I had to use the bathroom.