Five: Out of the Pit (Five #2) (36 page)

“Newbie. New to this fine establishment. You look young to be here. How old are you?”

I smiled and flipped my hair over my shoulder in what I hoped was a flirtatious gesture. “Old enough.”

Muscles tugged at the spot on its face where a mouth should have been.
A smile?

I realized then I should probably not stare at its throat unless I wanted to give myself away as one with the
sight
. I moved my gaze up to the hideous face.

“Yes. I suppose you are. I also suppose it doesn’t really matter here. What seek ye?”

Whoa.
What seek ye?
That was odd speech for someone trying to fit in at a dive bar. Maybe it didn’t care to fit in.

I decided to just get to the point. “I seek Randal. Are you him?”

That twitch of the facial muscles again. “First, tell me who you are and who sent you in search of Randal?”

“I’m Paige”—I saw no reason to lie—“And I don’t know the name of the man who sent me. All I know is he said this Randal guy could get me in touch with…” I looked around and lowered my voice. “Let’s just say, someone that can help me achieve some goals.”

Seth and Johnathan sat at a table a few feet away from the bar. It was as close as they could get to me without standing conspicuously behind me.

The Dark One turned in their direction. “What about your friends? Do they seek Randal as well?”

“They’re just here for moral support.” A twinge of jealousy jumped at my throat for a second when I saw a scantily clad female plop herself down next to Johnathan. Her high pitched giggle made me want to rip her throat out.

A guttural laugh escaped the creature’s gaping maw. It sounded like the chugging of an old steam engine. “There is no room for morals in this business ye seek, young Paige.”

I don’t think it even realized when it slipped from the more human sounding
you
to the dark and mysterious sounding
ye
.

“Understood. I ask again. Are you Randal?”

That startled the creature. I don’t think it was used to mere mortal humans being so direct.

With a slight nod of its head, it said, “Aye. I am he of whom ye seek. Tell me, Paige, what did the man look like who sent you to me?”

I sighed. I was still on edge, but not as fearful as I had been. Randal’s questioning was starting to get on my nerves. “He was a low-life scumbag who was pissing down both legs by the time I got through with him.”

If Randal had eyebrows, I’m sure they would have risen at that. I don’t know exactly why I answered the way I did; I wasn’t there to talk about that sick-o we’d sent to the Netherworld and it annoyed me that I had to.

“I see,” the eyeless Randal said. “I think I know the one of which you speak, then. How may I be of assistance to you?”

I really wasn’t sure how to proceed from there. Was it our goal to find Brone? Or were we just looking for information about his plans? I looked over my shoulder at Johnathan and Seth. The slutty woman practically sat on Johnathan’s lap. He’d scooted as far as he could and was smooshed up against the wall. She ran her fingers through his dark curls and heat rushed to my face as I started to get angry—until I looked at his face. He met my eyes and the terrified pleading I saw there almost made me laugh. I looked at Seth. He was in a very similar predicament with a woman that could have been his grandma if the lines on her face were any indication of her age.

I held up a finger to Randal. “Hold that thought. It looks like my friends need some help.”

Randal turned to see what I was looking at and made a
go ahead
gesture with its hand before it returned it to the lower back of the drunk girl I sat next to.

I slid down from the stool and stepped over to the booth. I placed my hands flat on the table right in front of the hussy that was feeling up my boyfriend. “Excuse me. If you would be so kind as to get your hands off my boyfriend, I might not have to make you bleed.” I turned to the older woman scrunched up next to Seth. “And you… go find someone closer to your own age.”

Before either woman could put up a protest I pulled them away from the boys with a drawing spell until they were both sprawled on the floor at my feet. “I need your advice boys.” Seth and Johnathan scooted out of that booth so fast I’m surprised the friction didn’t cause a fire. Their companions of a moment before stood on shaky feet and stumbled away, calling me some pretty nasty names as soon as they deemed themselves at a safe distance.

We huddled there and discussed what I should say to Randal.

Randal shooed the girls away and gestured for Seth, Johnathan, and I to take the seats near it.

Sticking to the hasty plan we’d just made, I said, “Randal, I was told you could arrange a meeting… with a Demon or something. I’m in need of some answers.”

“What kinds of answers? I must know, so I know with whom you should meet.” The creature traced a line down my back with one thin finger. I dug my fingernails into the skin of both hands to keep from shuddering.

“Let’s just say I have a friend who has been… cursed. And I need to know how to get rid of that curse.” I was desperate to get away from Randal’s roaming hand, but I was boxed in—with Randal on one side of me and Johnathan on the other. I really didn’t want to alert him to the fact that this monster was touching me—I couldn’t see that scenario ending well.

“Paige, dear, I’m not… unaware of your talents. I know you have special abilities. I saw you use them to remove those pests from beside your friends. What do you really want?” Its hand traveled all over my back in a sickening rubbing motion.

Scooting forward on the stool until my knees touched the wood holding up the bar, a new tactic came to me. “Yes, I have abilities. I wish to know how to better utilize them. I would love to learn from a master, someone who could make me stronger. Make me a force to be reckoned with.”

That muscle on its mouth-less lower face twitched again. “That’s better. I think I know of just the person to help you. He’s planning a bit of a get-together next week and I’m sure he would love for you and your friends to be there.”

“Just tell us when and where, and we’ll be there,” Seth said.

Randal looked in his direction as if it’d forgotten Seth was there. It turned its face back to me and said, “I’ll tell you. After we agree on a price. I scratch your back, you scratch mine—or so the saying goes.” The hand on my back traveled to my butt and rested there for a moment before squeezing.

I’d had enough. I whipped around on the stool and grabbed the creature’s thin wrist. “How about the price is that I don’t send you back from whence you came right now?”

eth and Johnathan stood in a blur. We had the thing blocked in, with the bar to its back. The boys had both pulled their channeling rods and pointed them at Randal. I still had a hold of its wrist and could feel the magical energy start to course through my body.

“Whoa, there, little humans,” Randal said. I felt a jolt tear through my hand and was forced to release my grip. “You don’t really want to go there with me.”

From my left, Seth said, “What’s wrong, Paige? What’d he do?”

A quick look at Johnathan reminded me that, unless I wanted something bad to go down here and now, I’d better calm down. He didn’t need to know about Randal’s roaming hands right this minute. We needed the information Randal could give us, so I needed to play nice. “Nothing, I’m just a little touchy today.” Looking back at Randal I said, “What kind of price are we talking about?”

“How about you and me…”

“No,” Johnathan said. “No you and her anything.”

Sometimes I swore I could still hear the wolf in Johnathan’s voice, snarling and ready to snap.

Randal stood. I’d been a little off on my estimate of its height which had to be close to eight feet tall. Its head nearly touched the ceiling. “You three are getting on my nerves. Either offer me a good price, or be gone.”

The other patrons in the bar moved as far away from our little quartet as they could, many of them paid their tab and left.

I could think of nothing I wanted to pay this creature.

Seth widened his stance and looked up at Randal’s face. “How about we give you an Imp?”

“No,” I said. “We aren’t going to use Surpy as a bargaining tool.”

Seth frowned at me. “Fine. How about a nice, big house? When we’re ready to move on, you can move in.”

That seemed to pique Randal’s interest. “A big house ye say? How big? And, how did ye come by it?”

Johnathan answered, “It’s big, with high ceilings.”

A good selling point,
I thought.

“Is it yours to give?”

“Let’s just say the owner no longer has any use for it,” Johnathan said.

Randal sat back on the stool and tilted its elongated head. “Hmm. It would be nice to live in a large human home. Much more comfortable than my current dwelling, I’m sure. When will you be done with it?”

“We’re not sure, maybe shortly after this meeting you set up for us,” I said. Realizing it knew we saw it for what it really was, I stopped trying so hard to pretend that what I saw before me was a person.

A hint of suspicion crept into the creepy voice. “Tell me whose home it is. You aren’t setting me up for danger are you?”

“It belongs to an Incubus. He’s no longer around, so when we leave, the house is all yours.” I was getting a kink in my neck from looking up at the thing.

“An Incubus, ye say? I eat them for breakfast.”

I believed it. “Do we have a deal, then?”

The creature gave a slow nod of its head. “Yes. Yes, I suppose we do… But, wait… who owns the right to invite me into this house? Ye say the Incubus is gone…”

“Uh… yeah,” Seth said. “Being one of the Fae, you can’t enter a home without being invited in by the owner.”

“Or, a family member living there,” I said. “It won’t be a problem, Randal. Our friend, who lives there with us, is the son of the Incubus. He will invite you in when we’re done with the house.”

The creature’s wide, black eye sockets widened even further. It shook its head. “The son of an Incubus? That’s a rare occurrence.”

“Yep. We know it is,” Seth said.

“I would meet this son of an Incubus, then.” Randal stood. “Where is this abomination of nature?”

I couldn’t keep from laughing.

“What do you find so funny, girl?”

“You. I find you funny. I find it funny that a creature that looks like a cross between a hairless Sasquatch, a praying mantis, and the Scream painting come to life, would really call someone else an abomination.”

“Paige!” Johnathan hissed.

Seth laughed with me.

The black abyss of its eyes flashed red. “Ahh. I thought you could see through my glamour. It would behoove you, Paige, to keep control of the words spewed forth from your mouth. You have no idea who you’re dealing with here.”

“I’ve heard that before. Yet, here I stand.”

It stepped toward me. My face was mere inches away from its midsection. I stood my ground.

“I am deadly even as a friendly acquaintance. You have no idea what danger lies for my enemies. Don’t cross that line.” It reached down and ran a spindly white finger from my forehead, down my nose, and to rest on my lips.

Johnathan pushed the hand away from my face and stepped between Randal and me. “He’s right outside. If you must meet him before sealing our deal, let’s go get it over with.” He grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the door.