Page 12 of Villains and Vengeance
I sit back in the chair and let out a sigh.The Mountain.I truly thought that the bribe I offered would be enough, but we must have got the one squeaky clean judge in the entire system. That bastard had looked me dead in the eye, smiled, and told me that supes like me gave all the others a bad name and that even my family’s fortune wouldn’t be enough to save us.
It probably would have been, I muse, before Victoria got her filthy human hands all over it and ran off. Even two years later my finances have barely recovered fifty percent. I bite back a smile. I can’t help but admire what she did on some level though. It took a lot of guts for a lone human to steal from a powerful clan of incubi, and intelligence to pull it off too. And, if it had just been the money, I would probably have let bygones be bygones. But then she took something more precious from us and I can’t let it go. Ineedrevenge. We all do. If we don’t take Victoria down, we might as well throw ourselves into the ether. Our lives won’t be worth living.
I glance at Iron, still busy working on his shiv. ‘Find out all you can about the supes here at the moment, the dangers in the tunnels. Tomorrow we begin the search.’
Iron nods, getting up from his weapons crafting. He leaves without a word.
‘Daemon and Axel, find that vampire and get us some supplies, food and whatever else he’ll give us.’
‘What about me?’ asks Jayce.
‘Walk around. Get the scents. See if you can triangulate a place to start. I don’t intend on spending the next two weeks looking for her. We find her. We make her tell us about the portal and then we leave her trussed up for Dante. That’s the plan.’
Jayce nods and turns towards the door. ‘Sounds good to me. What are you going to do?’
‘I’m going to make sure we have a Plan B. And, Jayce?’
He turns back with a wild look on his face that he hides from me immediately and I sigh. This is going the same way as it did with Krase.
‘Low profile for now. Don’t do anything insane, eh?’
CHAPTER4
JULES
‘Sneaking around. I feel like that’s all I do,’ I mutter to Siggy as I climb down the web.
She follows slowly, regarding me like she always does and I pause, looking up at the giant arachnid above me. I wonder if I only imagine she has feelings, that she cares, that she’s actually my friend, because I’m lonely.
When was the last time someone hugged me? I actually remember. It was Krase of all people …demons. Two years ago. And, before that, my mom when I was ten. How sad is that?
On impulse, I reach my hand up and wrap my fingers around one of Siggy’s soft pedipalps. She doesn’t do anything and my spirits fall just a little, but as I go to move away, she comes forward until we’re face to face and she bumps her massive head against mine gently.
‘You’re a good buddy,’ I tell her and drop to the floor, wiping my eyes and trying to forget the moment.
I have shit to do today and I need to be focused. Chugging my third can of soda this morning from my own meager stores, I dance around a little and think un-watery thoughts. I need to gobad, but that’s the point. All part of my cunning plan.
I leave Siggy’s territory and make my way through the catacombs. I walk for a while, counting my steps until I think I’m far enough away. I stop moving, listening intently. The last thing I need is to get caught with my pants down.Literally.
When I’m sure the coast is clear, I unbutton my jeans and squat against the wall. I release my pelvic floor, congratulating myself for doing my Kegels religiously or else I’d have definitely wet myself on the way here. The relief I feel is short-lived though as I stop the stream and pull up my pants. A couple of hundred steps later, I scent mark the tunnel again. Then, I gulp down another soda and do it all over. I leave my pee all over the damn place. My nose isn’t great, but I’m pretty sure it clogs the air, makes the smell of me the pervading aroma in this entire place. That’s the plan anyway.
Take that, Jayce!
I can’t help my giggle as I empty my bladder completely not too far from Siggy’s tunnel. I’ve thought this through and if I miss the spot where I actually hide out, Jayce will find it because itdoesn’tsmell as much of me.
When I’m done, I go back ‘home’ and grab my backpack. I tell Siggy where I’m going, but as I’m leaving to grab some more food, she moves in front of the tunnel, stopping me.
‘What? I have to go. I’ll be out of food soon,’ I say.
Her pedipalps come out and she puts one gently over my mouth to quiet me as she turns and leads me through her tunnel to the edge of her territory. I follow in silence. She hasn’t done this before. Maybe she can feel that I’m in more danger now, so she’s trying to help.
At the entrance to her tunnel, she stops and peers out. I can hear noises now, and at first I think it’s one of Dante’s regular patrols, but then I hear a voice I know and I strain to listen. It’s them.
‘You don’t understand. There isn’t a scent to follow,’ Jayce is complaining. ‘Everywhere smells of her. Every. Single. Tunnel. Up here anyway.’
I see their light getting closer and I make sure I’m well and truly hidden in the dark mouth of Siggy’s lair.
‘Thought your nose was the best,’ Axel goads.
