Cold Breath

"What unspeakable crime did I commit to deserve this day?" Caia dragged her feet up Jervan's walkway. They had spent the entire day, from dawn til dusk, wandering around the capital. Not only had she had to endure everyone else playing tourist, memories had assaulted her at nearly every turn. If looks could kill, Jervan would have been dead a dozen times over.

"It wasn't that bad," Jervan said. Make that dead thirteen times over. Caia was about to respond with a scathing retort, but she noticed something unusual about the invisible wards surrounding Jervan's house. All Conclave emissaries and members had protection magic on their homes; that was standard protocol. But Caia was familiar with Jervan's wards, and the ones he had set up all around the property were different than usual. There were more of them, for one, and they were more powerful. Caia could hear the subtle hum of magic, and every magic had its own frequency. Jervan had way more powerful wards than standard Conclave issue. As the others traipsed into the house and collapsed onto the couches in the front room, Jervan headed for his study and Caia followed him. When he turned to shut the door he stared at her in surprise.

"What are you not telling us, Jervan?" she demanded, keeping her voice low so the others wouldn't hear. He feigned confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The wards around your house. You've beefed up your security. A lot. Why?"

"I can't have protection spells around my home?" He arched an eyebrow.

"Cut the crap, Jervan." Caia opened up to her Syrienne magic, allowing her to detect in his voice whether he was lying or not. Jervan sighed. "Oralyn gave me a message. She said this case may be more dangerous than originally anticipated." He was hedging; she could tell. "Jervan you don't just have demon wards out there, you have Ninth Ring demon wards. The ice demon is powerful, yes, but probably a Seventh Ring demon. What has you so worried that a Ninth Ring-" She stopped, an ugly thought crossing her mind. "Do you think the Summoner is Balaal?" She saw panic flicker in his eyes for the briefest second, but she knew she didn't imagine it.

"You think Balaal is back and you didn't tell me?" she hissed. Her fists clenched and her eyes narrowed. Jervan wouldn't meet her gaze. "Caia, it's just a theory."

"The Conclave said he was dead."

"Yes, they did. And I believed they were right. But now I'm not so sure. The Conclave doesn't share my concerns, however. They all still believe he's defeated."

"I knew it! I knew they hadn't killed him!" Caia had to fight to keep her voice down. "And you brought me back here without even warning me?" She stared at Jervan, the fury coursing through her allowing her to disregard his pained look. "I didn't want you to know," he explained, almost desperately. "I knew coming back here would be hard enough on you. I have no concrete evidence that it's Balaal, it's just a hunch."

"You still should have told me." Her voice came out sharp, slightly shaky. "You should have told me that you think all these deaths are the work of the same demon that murdered my parents. Of all people, Jervan, I thought I could trust you."

"Caia, please, listen-"

"No!" She shouted the word, backing away as he reached for her. She yanked the door open and stormed into the hallway. The conversation in the living room had ceased. Caia strode to her room, slamming the door behind her. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest. Balaal was back. And jervan wanted to keep everyone in the dark about the fact that a Ninth Ring demon, already famous for killing so many Conclave members almost a decade ago, was what they were up against. How could he possibly expect his band of recruits to take out a demon that the finest Conclave emissaries couldn't? Because that was the only option he had. He'd had to put together his own team of volunteers because the Conclave wouldn't accept his theory that Balaal was alive. Caia shook her head. Her room suddenly felt too small. She dove for her closet, donning a new outfit and spraying some of her mother's moonflower perfume onto her brush before winding her hair into a tight bun. She slipped her feet into a pair of blood red heels and shrugged her long black coat back on, Hex riding along in her pocket.

Jervan was probably still shut up in his study, but the others were congregated in the front room playing a board game as she walked by.

"Where are you going?" Tate called after her.

"Out," was Caia's terse reply. As she was walking down the porch steps she heard the door open and looked over her shoulder to see Dash, Briar, Knox, and Tate following her, Briar wearing mittens and a thick sweater. "What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.

"Going with you," Tate replied.

"Whatever." Caia turned and kept walking. She led them past the parts of town they had explored earlier, heading into the seedier side of Centrum Mundi. She never broke stride, heading straight for a smoky club called Inferos. Music pulsed sinuously around the club and nymphs wearing sequins and feathers danced in bird cages hanging from the ceiling. Caia walked up to the bar, pulling out a stool and ordering a Dragon's Breath.

"Interesting place," Tate said, sitting on the stool beside her while Dash sat on her other side and Briar and Knox sat on the other side of him. Caia shrugged as the fae bartender set a deep purple drink in front of her. "They make good drinks here," she said. The bartender asked Tate what he wanted. "I'll have what she's having," Tate said, pointing to Caia's drink. She snorted and took a sip. "You sure you can hold your liquor, Metal Man?"

"You might be surprised."

"Tate? Tate Emerson? Is that really you?" A feminine voice rang through the smoky air, and Caia turned to see a tall redhead striding through the club. Three inches taller than Caia, with fiery red curls and pale blue eyes. A half elf. She embraced a stunned Tate, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Josephine?" he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I do liaison work for the Conclave now," the redhead said, lifting her chin proudly. "I don't usually come to these kinds of places, but a friend of mine dragged me here. She's a fae, and you know how they are." She threw Tate a dazzling smile. "But what are you doing here? Your apprenticeship at the Guild isn't over yet, is it?"

"No, almost. I'm here on vacation with my little sister." He gestured to Briar, who smiled awkwardly and waved. "Oh how wonderful to finally meet you," Josephine gushed. "Tate told me so much about you." Josephine stood close to Tate, continuing to gush and laugh her throaty laugh and touch his arm. Caia was inexplicably annoyed, and tried her best to block out the she-elf's voice.

"You look bored," a deep voice said behind her. "Maybe I can help you with that." Caia turned around and found herself staring into the piercing blue eyes of an Incubus. He had shaggy black hair and matching, well-trimmed beard. He smiled.

"I'm not that drunk, sex fiend," Caia said. The Incubus laughed and held up his hands. "Easy there, Bluebird. I just want a dance."

Caia was about to decline, when she heard Josephine let out a bell-like giggle and when she glanced over the she-elf had her hand on top of Tate's. "What the hell. Let's dance, demon." Caia rose from her stool. She shook her hair free of its bun, letting the sweet scent of moonflowers fill the air around her. She shrugged off her trench coat, causing Hex to mewl indignantly and climb out of the pocket to sit on the stool. The Incubus eyed Caia appreciatively, taking in her off-the-shoulder red top that bared her midriff and the short black skirt over black tights.

"We gonna dance or not?" Caia asked. The Incubus smiled again and led her onto the floor. Caia was apprehensive about dancing with a sex demon, but the Incubus, whose name turned out to be Marcelo, was surprisingly laid back and very un-sex demon-like. Eventually her reservations fell away and she just allowed herself to get lost in the music, which is exactly what she came here to do. Music was infectious for Syriennes, more so than for everyone else. After a while she kicked her heels off by the bar, deciding she could dance more freely without them. She caught sight of Knox several times, trying to talk to the chubby fairy from earlier, but every time he got close, someone would slam into him or step on his foot or spill something on him.

"Try not to get too close to Kaleb," Marcelo shouted over the music, noticing the direction of her stare. "He's a bad luck fairy." Caia stifled a laugh as Knox had the third drink of the night spilled down the front of his shirt. Above them, the nymphs climbed out of their bird cages, dumping glitter on the dancers. Caia laughed, her face, hair, and arms now covered in silver and blue sparkles. She saw Tate and Josephine, who had moved their little reunion to the dance floor. Another wave of annoyance overcame her, and Caia tried to shake it off. Why should she care who Tate danced with? Marcelo grabbed her hand and spun her across the floor in a move that would have made almost anyone else dizzy. She had to give his dance skills credit, but now they were almost next to Tate and Josephine. Josephine had herself pressed as close to Tate as physically possible, and was asking him if he remembered the time they went out to pick fireberries and became hopelessly lost.

"And then it started raining!" she laughed. "You were fine but I had a cold for two weeks! We had so much fun though," she added, and there was no mistaking the sultry glint in her eyes. Tate blushed. The song ended, and the all-fae band began to play a soft ballad. Caia didn't usually like dancing to ballads; it always felt too intimate for her; but Marcelo placed his hands on her waist and started swaying, so she went with it, placing her hands on his shoulders. She glanced over his shoulder and was surprised to find Tate staring at her with a dark expression. Why was he mad at her now? She hadn't picked on his sister once all afternoon. Josephine wrapped her arms around Tate's neck, whispering something, and Caia pointedly turned her face away from him.

"Mind if I cut in, Marcelo?" Caia tensed, glowering at the speaker.

"Fuck off, Cashel," she snarled. The Vampir grinned at her, his blue-black hair falling into eyes that were a startling shade of green. "Come on, Caia, don't be like that."

"I don't think she wants to dance with you, Cashel," Marcelo said. Cashel gave him a bored look, then his pupils shrunk to slits and all the color drained from Marcelo's face. He grew unsteady, his knees wobbling.

"Stop!" Caia snapped. "Leave him alone." Cashel blinked and looked at her, his pupils returned to normal. Marcelo steadied himself, looking dazed. Caia glared daggers at the Vampir. He sucked emotions from people, siphoning off their energy. Caia placed a hand on Marcelo's arm. "Go sit down at the bar and have a drink," she instructed. Marcelo hesitated, then did as she said, shaking his head to clear the dizzyness.

"You are such an asshole," Caia said. Cashel laughed. "And you're looking good, Caia. All grown up. It suits you."

"Fuck off." She turned to leave but Cashel caught her arm. "Still thinking you're hard and tough, huh Caia?" He spun her around to face him and she was pretty sure his fingers would leave bruises. "You always were too willful for your own good," Cashel said. "That mouth is going to get you into trouble someday, even if it is pretty."

Caia yanked her arm free. "How many times do I have to kick your ass?" she asked.

"Playing hard to get?" He leered at her, trying to wrap his arm around her waist. She slammed her fist into his throat, making him reel back, choking. "I'm not hard to get, Cashel," she said as other dancers stopped to watch them curiously. "I'm so far out of reach you don't have a chance in any of the ten hells of ever touching me." She stalked away from him to check on Marcelo.

"Are you all right?" she asked. "He's such a fucktard." Marcelo smiled weakly. "Yeah, I'm fine. He totally killed my buzz though. I think I'm going to turn in early tonight. It was nice meeting you, Caia." He planted a kiss on her hand and then left the club, giving Cashel a wide berth.

"That guy shouldn't be allowed to roam the streets freely," Dash said angrily, glaring across the room at Cashel. "He's been wreaking havoc since we were kids."

"He's troll vomit," Caia agreed. "I'd like to string him up by his thumbs and jam silver spikes under his toenails."

"Gruesome, but well deserved." Dash gave her a lopsided smile. When they were kids, Dash and Caia had watched each other's backs when it came to Cashel. He was a bully in the worst way, and his Vampir abilities made him formidable. "I need to go try and wash off some of this glitter," Caia said. "I'll be right back." She headed down a long empty hallway to the washroom. She leaned over a sink and started scrubbing glitter off her face. She heard the door open behind her, and then her head was slammed against the sink. Stars danced in front of her vision and she tasted blood. Her attacker grabbed her by the hair and flung her backwards so she landed on the floor. Cashel loomed over her, murder on his face.

"That was really stupid, Caia," he said, his voice a deadly whisper. "You shouldn't try to humiliate a Vampir."

"Try?" Caia sat up and spat blood out of her mouth. "I'd say I did." He slapped her and her head jerked to the side. Compulsion would be hard to use on him, since Vampirs were almost completely immune to it. She could shatter his eardrums though. Before she got a chance to emit her most impressive Syrienne shriek, however, he knocked her onto her back again and knelt over her, wrapping his hands around her throat. Not hard enough to cut off her air, but enough to make her uncomfortable and make it nearly impossible for her to scream. "I'd say my chances of touching you a re a little better now, aren't they?" Cashel laughed, a low, terrible sound and Caia finally realized he wasn't just here to smack her around. Panic and rage filled her being and she began to buck wildly, trying to throw him off. She tried to stifle her feelings, knowing he could draw more strength from her wild, potent emotions but the primal part of her brain didn't care.

She raked her nails down his face, drawing blood. He hissed angrily and Caia punched him in the jaw, hard. Cashel grabbed her wrists in one hand and pinned them above her head. "You always were a stuck-up bitch, you know that? I should have taught you a lesson years ago. I suggest you hold still, Caia. The more you struggle the more it hurts," he said, his eyes manic.

Caia brought her head up, slamming her forehead into his nose. He released her wrists to grab for her bloody nose, cursing. Caia shoved him in the chest, wriggling out from under him. She got to her feet and bolted for the door, but he caught her ankle and she crashed to the floor on her knees, crying out. She drew up her other leg, then brought her heel back hard into his face. If his nose wasn't broken before, it was now. But while Vampirs weren't much stronger than humans, their endurance was much higher. He leapt up, using his foot to shove her down before she could get back on her feet. Terror made her heart pound; she hated being pinned on her stomach. She felt his weight land on her back. It was hard to breathe, but she still managed to let out a scream of rage, and amplify it with her Syrienne power. She felt him jerk in surprise. He flipped her onto her back and slapped his hand over her mouth. "Shut up!" he barked. She bit into the fleshy part of his palm. Blood exploded in her mouth and Cashel howled. He cradled his wounded hand against his chest.

"You bitch!" He tore at the hem of her skirt, jerking it up. Caia rammed the heel of her hand into his already mangled nose and he stopped fumbling with her skirt, looking stunned.

"Yeah, I hope that hurt, fucking dick," Caia said. Her voice was breathless and crazed, but she didn't care. She just wanted him off of her. She raised her hand for another blow and Cashel caught her wrist in an iron grip. With his free hand, he tried to rip her tights.

"Cashel, stop!" she screamed. Then the door was banging open, and someone was lifting Cashel off of her. Caia scooted across the floor on her butt then scrambled to her feet. It took her several moments to comprehend what she was seeing. Tate had Cashel against the wall, his eyes blazing. He punched Cashel in the stomach. Dash and Briar appeared in the doorway, immediately noting her torn skirt and bloody face. Dash looked horrified, and then he looked at Cashel and his jaw tightened. He marched across the room and picked Cashel up like he weighed no more than a child. "I'll hold him for you," Dash said to Tate, who looked startled, then amused.

"Wait," Caia said. She walked slowly across the floor. Cashel's eyes were nearly swollen shut by now, but she knew he could still see her. She rammed her knee into his groin, and he let out an almost comical squeak of pain. "Touch me again, Cashel, and I'll cut it off and feed it to you," she said sweetly. "Just leave him here," she added to Dash. "Someone will find him eventually." She limped out of the washroom, her knees throbbing. Knox was sitting at the bar and jumped up when he saw her. "Ten hells, Caia, what happened to you?"

"It looks worse than it is," she lied. She gingerly slipped her coat back on, Hex flying up to nuzzle her cheek worriedly. Caia stumbled out of the club, pain finally catching up with her to dull her anger.

"Caia!" Tate caught her shoulders, gently turning her around. "You can't walk home like this," he said. "You're not even wearing your shoes." He held up her heels for emphasis.

"Look, Tate, you don't need to play the nice guy with me," Caia said. "I can get home fine. I'm sure your girlfriend is waiting for you."

"My girlf-Josephine? That was a long time ago, she's not my girlfriend."

"You may want to tell her that," Caia said, not sure why her voice was so laced with venom. "Please, I don't want to intrude on your romantic evening. You don't have to pretend like you care or anything." She pushed away from him, head spinning. She was going to be covered in bruises tomorrow. She should have just killed Cashel.

"Why are you always so stubborn?" Tate demanded angrily. He moved to block her path. "I'm not pretending anything. You need help."

"How chivalrous." Caia tried to push past him. "I don't need any help from you, Metal Man, thanks anyway."

"Hey look, I don't know what I did to upset you, but I'm sorry. And I'm not letting you walk all the way back to the house in this state."

"I've been in worse fights," Caia snapped, glaring up at him. "I can take care of myself. I don't need you rushing in to rescue me."

Tate threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "What is wrong with you?"

The fight went out of Caia and her shoulders slumped. Her adrenaline was rapidly fading. "I don't want you to feel sorry for me," she muttered.

"Caia, for fuck's sake. You just beat the shit out of a Vampir. You're the scariest person I've ever met."

Caia smiled, then winced. Smiling hurt. Briar, Knox, and Dash joined them in the street. "Are you all right?" Briar asked. Caia's knees gave out and she sank to the ground, trembling. "Never better," she said, then everything went hazy and she was vaguely aware of someone picking her up. "See, even your own body is telling you to shut up and let me help you," Tate said. Caia wanted to protest, but her eyelids felt like a million pounds each and her face hurt too much to keep talking. She drifted in and out of consciousness, feeling drained. She heard voices, Jervan's panicked voice asking what happened; Tate's calm, quiet voice explaining. Then she was lowered into a soft bed, and someone was telling her they were going to clean up the blood, and that a healer was already on the way to tend to her wounds.

She just wanted to sleep. She cracked open one eye as far as it would go; Cashel wasn't the only one with a black eye; and stared at a blurry Tate as he wiped blood off her cheeks.

"Hey Tate?" she mumbled, her voice raspy. He looked at her. "Um, thanks." Then, blissfully, sleep overcame her.