Page 35 of Fangs and Family
‘I did, putting the “drooling monster on a leash,” just as you requested,’ he said, and I rolled my eyes.
‘Tell me about this hunger. What is it? Does it happen often? Should I do something when it happens again?’
‘No, last night was the exception. I neglected my meals, and your call took me by surprise,’ he said before the corner of his lip upturned in a mischievous smile. ‘The Hunger is like the deep-seated craving that pushes you to cook for a woman when all you want is to taste her lips.’
‘Later…’ I coughed when a piece of the pancake stuck in my throat at his words. It was definitely time to change the subject. ‘I mean, we willtalkabout it later. I need you to tell me what you know about Pawel. And stop acting like an arsehole. You know how important this is to me,’ I said, annoyed by his comparison and the way it sent heat sliding down my spine, but my Freudian slip didn’t escape his attention.
‘I can acceptlater.’ He said, flashing me a sinful smile. ‘Alright, let’s talk about Pawel. Your brother got caught up with a loathsome group. They are, or I should say they were, grave robbers. They called themselves the Lost Ark,’ he said.
I snorted with laughter, and Adam nodded, amusement evident in his tone as he continued. ‘I know, right? They were not the smartest tools in the shed, but they were efficient. They’ve been operating in Southern Poland on the Ukraine and Belarus borders. Their modus operandi was simple. They’d find a burial ground of prominent noble families or those of the Elder Races that lay forgotten, and under the guise of the government’s historical renovation, they’d dig up the graves and steal whatever they found, selling to unscrupulous antique collectors.’
‘C’mon, that’s disgusting, but grave robbing is hardly worthy of being gutted and hung up to die. If those graves are forgotten, then the only people involved are the dealers they sell to. That’s hardly the sort of person to commit such atrocities,’ I argued.
Adam smirked and shook his head. ‘Even beneath the most polished veneer is the ugliest truth. Just because someone sips champagne from a delicate crystal flute doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of the worst humanity has to offer.’
I knew he was right, but that didn’t make the situation better.
‘Do you know who it was?’ I asked, but he shook his head.
‘Not yet, but I have a lead and one solid suspect.’ He said, and I continued stuffing myself with pancakes. ‘When your brother came to see you, did he leave anything behind or talk about needing to sell something?’
‘A necklace. Pawel was trying to give me an old silver necklace. I didn’t accept it.’ I answered, and Adam stood up, gesturing for me to follow him. I was confused by the request but didn’t want to spoil his cooperative mood. We walked through the living room towards a solid, steel-reinforced wooden door.
‘Lorelai, open my office.’ He said, and I had to bite my lip to avoid laughing as his command sounded suspiciously likeopen sesamefromAladdin.
I heard the clunk of the lock and the quiet whoosh of steel bolts sliding into the wall. The door opened, revealing a creature so strange I yelped and jumped on Adam, climbing him like a tree.
‘Shit, I’m sorry, you startled me, appearing like that.’ As an embarrassed aside, I turned to Adam, releasing my hold on his neck. ‘I’m sorry for grabbing you again.’
I couldn’t help frowning at Adam’s laughing face or his refusal to allow me to escape my embarrassment, his arm holding me close.
‘Nina, this is Lorelai. She is… she makes sure everything runs smoothly in the apartment.’
With that, my annoying captor nodded respectfully to the strange creature before us, who returned his nod with a bobbing curtsey. I might have worked in a hospital for the Elder Races for two years, but I’d never seen someone so unusual.
With the beak of a bird for a mouth and cute swept-back horns peeking out from a mass of curly moss-green hair, the female was still quite beautiful. Her traditional Polish peasant garb highlighted her feminine curves and mostly hid the unusual bird’s feet that poked out from beneath the hem of her skirt. I had never met someone of her kind in my time at work, and I wondered how such a magical creature could live outside of the Nether.
‘Lorelai is bound to the electronic heart of my home and lives in her own sphere of reality.’ Adam said, answering my unspoken question.
‘Pleasure to meet you, Lorelai. I’m sorry for the trouble.’ I said politely, and she nodded her head.
A soft female voice spoke from the discreet speakers behind me.
‘My pleasure too, Mistress. I’ve been waiting for your arrival for so long. Master dreams of you so often and so intimately that I was surprised he didn’t bring you home earlier. Was the room to your liking?’ I whipped my head around, staring at the speakers. I could see the person in front of me, but her beak hadn’t moved, and the phenomenon confused me for longer than I was proud of.
Adam came to my rescue, covering for my faux pas.
‘Lorelai is a kikimora. She can manifest her body, but her spirit is trapped in the electronic unit that controls the house. She can also see your dreams and will offer her opinion on them whenever she wants to cause mischief. Before you ask, she is happy here. I offered to find a way to free her, but she refused.’ He said before pulling me gently into the dark room. Lights were blinking everywhere, and several computer screens flashed with streams of data that boggled the mind, especially when you remembered Adam was hundreds of years old.
Unbidden, the remark, ‘I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks,’ slipped from my lips, and an electronic snort issued from a speaker on the desk.
Adam ignored the exchange as he led me to the nearest desk.
‘I want you to describe the necklace in as much detail as possible,’ he requested in a snippy tone before sitting on an oversized, comfortable computer chair.
‘It was silver, old, with some engravings on both sides. I think it was a locket, or at least it looked like one. The pendant itself was quite hefty and round. The chain looked plain… that’s all I remember.’ I said. I couldn’t recall more. Even closing my eyes didn’t help.
Adam sat staring intently at his screens as his left hand moved a stylus over his desk whilst his right typed furiously. I was quietly impressed at his skills and about to comment when he gestured for me to join him.
