Chapter 8

The taxi pulled to a stop behind an abandoned warehouse. “This is as far as I go, Miss.”

“Thanks.” I should really expense this stuff, I thought, as I accepted my card back and signed the receipt. I gave him the fare plus a thirty percent tip. Most cabbies would've dropped me off a mile ago, especially with the evening closing in. No one wanted to be in sector thirteen after dark. Too many rogue fae, criminals, and supernatural junkies out here. “Keep the change, and got a receipt for me?”

“Sure.” He scribbled on a piece of paper and pushed it through the metal mess, his hand was shaking. “Need me to wait for you?”

“That's okay.” My gaze drifted to the orange and pink painted sky. “Really don't know how long I'll be, but thanks.”

He nodded, his hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel. “I've got an extra can of mace if you want it.”

I patted my baton. “I've got everything I need.” Before he could offer me anything else, I pushed open the door and climbed out.

The cab roared down the road as if the driver was auditioning for a drag race. Couldn't blame him. I wouldn't be here either unless I had to be. Which, thanks to everyone on my new hit list, I did.

Rolling my shoulders back, I stepped toward the grassy meadow ahead. Fae loved tricking humans into their territory. Some bound them to be their lovers or slaves, others captured them for sport, and a few, like the dark fae or Unseelie, killed them. Portals were everywhere. A circle of stones, trees, or even mushrooms. But that was for the normal fae folk. The Unseelie entrance used to be here, in the roughest part of town, and my guess was the barrier had weakened here first.

I passed an old man who smelled of whiskey and urine. His snores sounded like he might be part Ogre. I tossed a twenty into his rusty metal can and hoped he'd buy a meal with it and not booze.

In the distance, a ring of pine trees bowing inward marked the portal location. A shiver lanced through my gut and I rubbed my palms down my jeans. At the edge of the trees, I took a breath and placed my hand against one of the cracked pines.

“Arrevatar,” I said, but the gateway didn't open. Fine, time to draw out the wizard zenyar. I unhooked my baton and pointed it at the pathway. The magic charged out of my center, down my arm, and out the tip of my wand. A gush of wind blew me back several steps, but the damn ring didn't open. How was I going to find this Daniella if I couldn't freaking get inside? I ground my teeth and lifted my billy stick again, brushing my frizzy dark hair out of my face.

“That won't work.” Sarah skipped over fallen tree limbs.

“What are you doing here?” I frowned.

Trailing after her, were Herbert and the President. Great, my sidekicks had arrived. Didn't they know a bounty hunter's best weapon was the element of surprise? Knock on a convict's door at 3 am and I had a better chance of nabbing him. Once, I'd even borrowed a delivery driver's uniform and car for fifty bucks to trap a parole violator. So yeah, tromping through the Unseelie Realm with these three wasn't going to work.

“You'll never get that open with your witchard magic.” Herbert wheezed as he hiked closer.

I crossed my arms. “And I suppose you visit here all the time and know the secret password?”

Sarah touched my shoulder. “The witches and wizards came here first when the barriers started failing. They thought sector thirteen was the weak link in the chain.” Her green eyes glistened in the fading sunlight.

“So why haven't more nasties come out here?” And how long before they got bored with the magical folks and moved onto humans? From everything I'd heard about the Unseelie court, they were vicious and motivated by power. Wait, was that why President Mason was here? To protect her seat of power? Did the Unseelie plan on taking over the country and enslaving all of us?

“This portal has been enhanced with their magic, so no normal zenyar can break it.” The wind ruffled the edges of Sarah's dark Bantu knots.

Freaking wonderful. “So, where do we go to get in then?” I hated having to rely on others. That was why I was a bounty hunter in the first place. Take a case, nab the target, get paid, move on with my life. My rules, my time.

“Oh, this is the best spot,” Herbert grinned, but his smile didn't relieve the unease that spread through me. “We just have to up the magical cost.”

This sounded like something I wasn't going to like. Something that I should shout screw you at and walk away from, and find another entrance and my own way inside the dark fae realm.

“A blood sacrifice.” President Mason straightened her suit jacket.

“Whoa!” I held up my hands. “Are you talking about killing someone?” Had they brought me here just to kill me now? Then why the blood vow? Was that just to make me think I had a chance and that they wanted my help—all the while planning to murder me here?

“I volunteered.” Sarah nodded as though assuring herself she was making the right choice. “It slaughtered my people. If my life can be used to stop this darkness from spreading, then I gladly sacrifice myself.”

“Wait, what?” The unease I'd felt earlier now morphed into a full acid burn in my throat. “We're here to rescue this Daniella person and any shifters who are trapped, not fight in some supernatural war.” Was everyone crazy but me?

Herbert chuckled. “If it was as simple as that, do you think they'd have gone to all this trouble? Why not hire another bounty hunter or someone more skilled to do the task?”

“Why can't he be the sacrifice?” I lifted my chin toward him.

“Because he's going with you into the realm, remember?” Mason wiped her brow. “Now, don't stop this ritual, Regan. I'd hate for you to become the second sacrifice here and mess up our plan.”

“What plan? Is there something else that has to happen once we're inside?” Was I next in their scheme and about to end up dead like Sarah? “Or is it a one-way street for me? You'll use my life to pay the piper to get Herbert and Daniella and whoever else out?”

Herbert shrugged. “What does it matter? If you don't move forward with our wishes, the blood vow will turn you into a zombie. Guess you'll just have to trust us and do what we say.”

For now. As soon as I got into the Unseelie Realm and at least tried to fulfill the pledge I'd made, I could bend the blood vow. No one had said how I was to rescue the prisoners once I was there, or how I'd escape. If Herbert thought he could double-cross me or set me up as his ticket out of this dark realm, then he didn't know me. I'd blast both of us with my combined zenyar magic before I let that transpire. “There has to be another way.” The idea of a sacrifice and killing someone didn't sound right. Hell, even harming an animal for magic made me retch.

“I wish there was.” President Mason sighed. “But this is the quickest way in and we've wasted enough time recruiting you.”

Right. Do this or die were my top picks they'd handed out. “Wait, did you coerce Sarah like you did me?” No way was I going to allow them to bully someone into giving up their life for them. Hell, it was only because of Stryker and Herbert that I had the potential zombie thing hanging over my head. If I'd known what they'd planned, yeah, I'd have tried anything else to get out of that damn chair.

Sarah laid a hand on my arm and smiled. “Thank you for asking, but I give myself voluntarily for my pride, for this cause.”

“No, you don't have to do this. We can find another way.” There had to be something else we could do. Something that wouldn't add a suicide to our journey. A fragment of hope that we weren't all screwed and fixing to die horrible deaths because of some Daniella that I already hated.

“There's nothing.” Herbert waved his wand at Sarah. “Cerindel Gronkra Ottolelo.”

“No!” I charged forward and a blur appeared in front of me, rushing toward me. It slammed into me, square in the chest. I fell backward, and its heaviness pressed down on my body. A huge leopard with amber eyes snarled down at me, fangs inches from my throat.

Then it leaped off, rushing toward Herbert.

“Help me, it's going to kill me!” He held up his arms over his head.

“Exerator Mender-ea!” I ripped my Rowen baton out and pointed it at the huge cat. A stunning spell should make Sarah in her animal form back off. Yellowish light sizzled out of the baton.

Instead of running off or backing up, the leopard collapsed. Sarah transformed back into her dark skin, with blood pooling across the ground beneath her. No, no, no! It wasn't a slaying spell. My wand shook in my hand, the zenyar rattling through my bones and vibrating my skull. The power was backlashing like it had with the Terin. What the holy fuck?!