Page 42 of Brimstone Bound
‘The quantity of herbs burned to release the smell is miniscule. Far less than a human nose could detect.’
‘Bullshit. It was so strong the first time I walked into the Supe Squad building that it made my eyes water.’
He gave me a sidelong look. ‘I told you that you wouldn’t like the answer.’
‘You’re saying that because I can smell it, I’m a supe,’ I said flatly.
‘Pretty much. You’re not a vampire or a werewolf. You’re clearly no gremlin or pixie, either. You, D’Artagnan, are something new.’
The back of my neck prickled uncomfortably. I couldn’t pretend that this was news; it wasn’t as if normal people had their throats slit and woke up twelve hours later in a burst of flames. And I’d not even mentioned the flames to Lukas.
‘In theory,’ he continued, ‘Brown used the herbs to root out any supes who are hiding their identity. It’s a technique Supe Squad have used for decades.’
‘And in practice?’
‘Could be habit. But it’s probably for the tourists.’
I frowned. ‘To impress them?’
Lukas laughed. ‘No. To ward off all those idiots who appear at the door convinced that they themselves are supes. People who pass by a vampire in the street and think that they’ve been turned because they’ve breathed the same air. Or the people who think that they’re werewolves because they enjoy their steak rare.’ He grinned. ‘Humans are far crazier than supes will ever be. And if they can’t smell the herbs then they ain’t supe, no matter how much bloody meat they consume.’
‘I’m vegetarian,’ I informed him snippily, as if that meant I couldn’t possibly be supernatural.
He glanced at me, still amused. ‘Good for you.’
We reached Tallulah. I did my best to repair the black plastic sheeting then got into the driver’s seat. Lukas had to all but fold himself in to fit inside next to me. I snickered slightly at his discomfort. ‘I thought Tallulah was better than your car. What do you drive? A Little Tikes Cozy Coupé?’
‘I’m not an entirely selfish bastard,’ he said, shifting himself around. ‘Driving Tallulah makes you instantly recognisable to any supes. It means you won’t be treated as a tourist and you’ll be taken more seriously.’
‘Like Tony was?’
Lukas didn’t answer.
I clipped in my seatbelt and turned on the engine. I was briefly tempted to head back to Tony’s flat and see its now unblemished state, but that was pointless and would only waste time. I already knew what it looked like, and there was no chance there would be any new evidence lying around that would help us.
‘You said only a few people know about the plans for Supe Squad to become more active,’ I said to Lukas. ‘Do you happen to have a handy list of these people? Specifically werewolves?’
He sighed. ‘It’s a fool’s errand. This is not why either you or Tony was killed.’
I waited.
Lukas clicked his tongue. ‘I don’t have a definitive list. But I assume all four werewolf clan heads and their immediate deputies are aware of the plans.’
I glanced at my watch. It was already one in the morning. ‘Will they still be up and about?’
‘Probably.’ He crossed his arms over his chest, indicating that it was a pointless effort. I ignored him and released the handbrake. Werewolves, here we come.
***
Taking a leaf out of Tony’s old playbook, I parked Tallulah smack bang in the centre of the wolves’ quarter, ignoring the fact that there were no others cars and the streets were teeming with people.
Lukas sniffed. ‘It’s always so much quieter here at this time of night than in Soho.’
I stared at the crowds and wondered just how busy the vampires’ quarter got. ‘Four clans. Sullivan, McGuigan, Carr and who?’
‘Fairfax.’
‘Anything important I need to know about them?’
