Chapter 20: Chapter 18

Hi,

In this chapter you'll get the answer to last week's question. I loved all your answers and your theories! And that's why I have a new question for this chapter. What is Anna up to now?

Lara

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Chapter 18

My fault. Mine alone.

I blinked away memories of limb bodies and the stench of smoke, tried to put a lid on thoughts and speculations about how many got killed the night I gave Medici access to a company in the financial district of the city. I couldn't lose my head, not now.

I was taking a great risk by showing myself, even to them. A risk I had to take. I could have portalled right into their fortress, but, judging from my last brush with Marrok, the alpha of the Fade Pack didn't like unexpected visits.

The street was unnaturally still, gave away a sense of calm that I knew was wrong on more than one level. Hints and whispers of motion and sound everywhere. The shape shifters probably spotted me as soon as I stepped out of the portal. There were enough of them. Maybe in one of the narrow streets between the derelict, hollowed shops to my right. Maybe on top of one of the buildings to my left. Most certainly behind the junk metal graveyard in front of me.

I was tired of waiting in the dark. And damn it, if I was going to go down, I was going to take the right kind of people with me. As long as I was still up and moving, I was going to do the right thing. For the city. And the people.

The sound of metal on asphalt made me look up. A solitary can rolled into my path. I braced myself for what was to come, pulled more magic to me, fastening my walls. I was going to walk in and come out alive.

A mop of short, curly blond hair; hard angles, hard face. No shoes. I knew him from our last unhappy meeting with Marrok. Radulf stepped out of the jungle of cars and steel, not even trying to be subtle about it. It was effortless, a hunter moving gracefully in the jungle of the city.

"I have no idea why you're here, but let me give you a word of advice. Whatever it is, it's a bad idea," he said.

A part of me was pretty sure Radulf was right. But there was a far bigger one that said just the exact opposite.

I walked up to him, holding his gaze. "I need to talk to Marrok."

It took us ten minutes to make our way through the metal junkyard and into the heart of Marrok's compound. Marrok was leaning on a torn ottoman chair, more like a besieged tribal leader than urbane shape shifter. Similar to many other cultivated leaders in the city, and yet so different. Polished like Alexander? No, he was not. Cunning? Yes. Capable of killing without remorse? I had no doubts about that.

In this city of wolves in sheep's clothing he was one of the big players, but, just like me, he was tethering on the edge – not really part of the established and approved apparatus of law and order. It was the one commonality we had, and I was willing to bet my life on it. Well, that, and the fact that he hated vamps with a vengeance.

"You got guts to come here, at times like these. Makes me curious to find out why you think you could waltz in here and walk out alive," Marrok said.

The rough, baritone voice grated on my nerves, soft skin on sandpaper. This was it.

All or nothing.

"I remember the second time I came here. You said there were going to be riots and that the city was going to fall apart. You said that if I had any sense of self-preservation, I'd prepare myself for what was coming." I looked at him, gauging his reaction. "I did. I made sure I'll survive, no matter how."

His nostrils flared and for a small, fleeting moment I caught a new expression on his face. Curiosity? Acknowledgement? Was I finally talking the right language?

He looked me up and down with the gaze of someone who wasn't quite human. What was he seeing? Did he see a girl with long brown hair that was wearing a leather jacket way too big for her? Or did he see a potential ally?

He smiled, showing all teeth. "And you came to tell me this, why?"

I froze. Did I break through his Alpha-male-arrogance only to hit a brick wall?

"I came to you because I think we have common goals. You were right when you said this city was going to fall apart."

Marrok didn't move – nothing apart from the soft flaring of his nostrils. Maybe he was wondering how the dark stain of blood got on my jeans and trying to sniff it out. Maybe he could smell the small doses of fear in my pores, the sheen of sweat that coated the back of my neck ever since I stepped into his den. Maybe I was imagining things.

This was new terrain for me. No matter when I negotiated with the big players in this city, I was never on my own. Not like this, and not without someone to back me up in case things went downhill.

"And what could you possibly have to offer?"

There was only one thing I was willing to offer.

"Exchange of information," I said coolly. "I heard you and Raphael Medici have a history."

His face twisted. Half-grimace, half-smile, all teeth. "So the rumors are true. You teamed up with him."

I shrugged. "I did what I had to do to survive. You of all people should get that. But I'm not here to swap philosophical survival strategies with you. The Raven – I heard you almost caught him, once."

"What does that have to do with you being here?"

I smiled. "Come on. I was with the rogues for a while. Long enough to know where to look for them – if I wanted to get my hands on their leader."

Another smile that was all teeth. "And you're telling me this why? I'm not interested in Medici."

"You're not?" I raised a brow. "Funny to hear that from someone who quit right after he failed to apprehend one of the biggest criminals New York has ever seen."

"You think I still care?" He laughed, a deep, throaty noise that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. "I don't give a fuck."

"Maybe, maybe not. But he's still out there and I know he's planning something," I said.

"Not my problem," Marrok said.

"You also told me that you'd make sure that your pack was going to survive in this city. Can you do that with the Raven on the lose? With what he's planning to do?"

A shadow moved in his eyes, a dark sensation pouncing. Maybe I was reading more into it than there was, but I could see it in my mind. The animal in him, if there was such a thing, was stirring. The Raven's presence in the city was bothering the Alpha more than he liked to admit. And that was what I'd been counting on from the start.

"What is Medici planning?" Marrok said. His voice was half growl of an animal, half male.

"Exchange of information – remember?" I said, smiling, and crossed my arms in front of me.

He leaned his elbow on the armrest, propping his head against his head, and laughed. A casual gesture, like it was the best joke he'd heard in a while.

"I could simply have the information beaten out of you. Five minutes with my boys, and I'd know what the Raven usually has for breakfast."

I snorted. "You think I'd walk in here unarmed? I might look the part, but I'm not a rookie."

The bags of my leather coat, which in truth was the Raven's coat, were stuffed with magical objects that would give the great three witches a run for their money.

"What do you want?"

Maybe Marrok believed me, maybe he could smell the truth on me. Not that I cared as long as he agreed.

"I don't know the details, but I know he's planning something big. He's been recruiting and amassing magical weapons right and left. Whatever it is it will happen in two weeks. You and I both want the Raven behind bars. I've seen how he keeps moving within the city. I know where he's most likely going to hide, but I can't be everywhere."

Marrok stared at me. "So what? You're going to give us one or two vacated locations in the middle of nowhere and get whatever you want in return?"

He was so fast, I didn't see him move. Time got lost, grains of sand – just gone. His hand was clamped around my neck, fingers digging into my skin.

"Don't ever try to fuck me over, Anna." The words came out as a low growl, a vocal shadow of a physical threat – forceful and intimidating just like its real brother.

I met his stare, held myself perfectly still. Not a scared animal, staring into the cool gaze of its hunter. Not prey. I didn't come into his lair without enough magical arsenal to defend myself, if worst came to worst, but using it now was neither wise nor called for. Marrok would see it as a violation of trust. Which was not something I could afford at this point in time.

I couldn't track down Medici on my own. Chances of success would increase if I could secure the Fade Pack's assistance in this. I needed Marrok.

"Not fucking with you, Marrok," I whispered, gulping of air. "I'll give you the last three locations the Inri Brotherhood occupied, right now."

His fingers loosened. "I'm listening."

I recounted the last three hiding spots in a rush.

"Medici keeps a record of hideouts, a map of the city that shows various areas and niches perfect for hiding," I said. "But there are too many possibilities to do it on my own. Combined with your numbers and what I know of Medici's MO, we can catch him. Once we do, you'll get all the credit. You can go to the Circle and tell them you did it all on your own."

He straightened, letting his hand fall away. The bulk of muscles on his forearms and shoulders relaxed, like the safety of a gun clicking into place.

"You want something in return. I wanna know what that is first," he said.

I hesitated. I couldn't tell Marrok the whole truth.

I had to tread carefully or I was going to get stuck in a verbal danger zone that could hurt more factions than I liked. Medici was wrong about many things, but on one he was right: Alexander was an important constant in New York. If he fell, the city was going down too.

I had to learn more about the threat to the head vampire's power hold and, if possible, obliterate it. And maybe, just maybe, I felt I owed the head vamp.

Just go out and admit it: you don't want him to get hurt.

I shook my head, as if I might be able to rid it of the train of unpleasant, dangerous thoughts by one motion alone.

"I need to know what's going on in this city. The relationship between the Circle and Alexander. You have wolves working in border control. I need to know what's been going on in and around the borders."

Marrok might not be friendly with the Circle itself, but I knew that at least two of his shape shifters were within the security apparatus of the Circle. I was pretty sure there were even more in the border control.

Marrok's nostrils flared. "If I give you the information I need to know why."

"Look at the riots. Everything's escalating and blowing up into our faces. I'm not sure, but I don't think it's the Raven alone." I shrugged.

See here, nothing but your neighborhood witch making presumptions.

His eyes narrowed. "You think someone else is stirring up trouble?"

I shrugged. "It's possible. No matter if someone did or not, I need to know what's been going on these past few weeks. Who moved through, who was doing what in the Circle. You get the drift. So, do we have a deal or not?"

He stared at me for another long moment. "We have."

"I'll come back tomorrow. Three pm." It would give me enough time to get back to my hiding place in daylight.

"Make that six," Marrok said. "We'll need the time."

I hesitated. Six pm was uncomfortably late, right at the doorstep between day and night.

I shrugged and turned around. "Fine."

I was almost out the door when he spoke again.

"Not as easy as you thought, is it?"

"What?"

"Being on the other end of the spectrum."

My fingers cramped into fists as I made my way out of Marrok's den. The answer was burning on the tip of my tongue, but I wasn't giving him the satisfaction of hearing it. It was worse than I imagined. Liberating, but frightening at the same time. And dangerous as hell.

I opened a portal the second I stepped out of Marrok's den. No time to linger. Lingering was risky. Any second out in the open was equal to a round of Russian roulette – risky, even as close to someone outside the Circle's graces, like Marrok.

Besides, I had somewhere else to go.

Cut off from the Circle, I was little more than a half-blind pup, traipsing along the city. Even half-blind I refused to give up and wait for a carefully laid-out trap to snap shut. I would get information. I would use my own channels of information, with my own methods.