Not My Fae, page 15
part #8 of Vegas Fae Stories Series
"Approximately," she said, looking at me intently. "But that means nothing. I have had many such unwanted visions. It is the price one pays for having the sight. They are seldom made public as there meaning is unclear. Although several have become understood later and the events come to pass."
"No, I got that," I said, rubbing my hand over my head. "I was thinking more of the timing. I would have been just a kid when you had this vision. Which means that if it is about me, then Gaea set this up a long time ago. Not that I'd put it past her. Unfortunately, that doesn't get us any closer to understanding what it means."
"You said this Charlie sought council with a Hellhound," she said, moving back a few steps. "Perhaps he can shed some light on its meaning."
"I doubt that council is the right word," I said, rolling the parchment back up. "But it's certainly worth finding out." I held up the scroll. "I'll see him again in the morning. Mind if I take this to show it to him?"
"Of course," she said, bowing her head. "That is why I brought it. If the vision concerns you then you should have it. I only wish I could be of more help. Ever since it first came to me I have never understood even a little of its meaning, not until this morning. Although it still is not clear. But then that is not uncommon with visions such as this."
"I'll have to figure out another way to share the information with Siegfried and Michael if it turns out to involve the conference," I said, setting it back down. "Probably a good idea if nobody else knows about us for the time being."
"That is for the best, I agree," she said, chuckling. "I have heard more about you this last week then I have ever heard of Robert before. It would not be wise to add the Oracle's friendship to your resume lest others wonder what you are up to."
"Hey," I replied, jerking my thumb toward the front of the house. "You're the one with your car parked in my driveway. I'm not sure what I'll say if the neighbors start asking questions, let alone the guards."
"Unlike you, the guards actually respond to my suggestions," she said with a grin. "They will remember nothing. I have made sure of that."
"Then I guess we're okay as long as no unexpected guests show up."
"Somehow I doubt that will be a problem," she said, looking up at the bare walls. "I do not get the impression that you get too many guests. From what I've been told, the Robert that was here before wasn't what one would call the entertaining type."
"Checked up on me did you?" I asked, leaning back against the counter and crossing my arms. Not that it was unexpected, even as the Oracle she didn’t know everything.
"I may have made a few discrete inquiries," she replied with a smile. "Even the best of magic can fail under the right circumstances. Although I was convinced of your story, it never hurts to have a few facts confirmed."
"Learn anything interesting?" I asked.
"You are definitely not him," she said, stepping back up to the counter.
"Tell me something I don’t know," I replied with a laugh. "But now I'm curious. What did you find out?"
"The Robert from this world is a loner," she said, walking around the kitchen as she spoke. "He has very few friends. Even those he does have; he seldom visits with. This Robert would never have accompanied his ex-wife and daughter for an extravagant evening at the Neptune and he most assuredly would not have come to the show with them."
"Really?" I asked, following her as she walked. "You can’t possibly know that for sure."
"Yes, I can," she replied, stopping for a moment. "Your…I mean his ex-wife has been back to Vegas seven times in the last two years. She has always stayed with her daughter or taken a room at the Neptune. She has never spent the night here, or even visited, even though this was once her home. At least until that night. While it's true you have met with them on prior occasions, you've never lent her your car. She always rents one. For that matter, there is nothing to indicate that you ever spent more than a few hours with them during those times. If I were to guess, that night was a last-ditch attempt by Nikki to spend a little time with the two of you when the opportunity arose. I imagine she was quite surprised when you agreed to accompany them."
"That's mostly speculation," I pointed out.
"No, it isn't," she said, continuing. "Tell me something. Since you have been here, how many times have you talked to either of your children, other than the evening I just spoke of?"
"I'm not sure," I said, thinking back. "Maybe once or twice. I think I spoke with Nikki when I picked up my car after Kathy left. I've talked to her a few times at work, of course, and I spoke with Jay once right after the show. He called me to ask about the Keres. But you need to understand that I have no frame of reference with them here. It's not like I can just call and make up some past memory to share with them."
"Forget about you for a moment," she said next. "How many times a week do Jay or Nikki call you in your own world?"
"Almost every day," I admitted. "Worst case a couple of times a week if they're working a long case."
"There you have it," she said, nodding as she made her point. "But the true indicator was your actions the day you confronted the Keres. Something, I might add, that Robert has never done. The Keres have collected the Souls of his fallen more times than I would care to count and he has never approached them." She crossed her arms and looked into my eyes. "Then there's the Lilin. I have sources at your Department. The Robert of this world would never have cut off their slave collars. Don't get me wrong, I doubt he holds any contempt for them as many of the Fae do, but he holds no special love for them either. I think that is adequate to make my point. I doubt we need to add Robert's lust for killing to the equation. No, that's not correct. It's not lust, it's indifference. Robert simply sees those he kills as his enemies, or at the very least, obstacles to be removed. In short, the Robert from this world is very much like me. He does what he must to survive day to day. Perhaps he was not always that way, but I doubt he was ever what you are. Whether this is his own method of survival or something else, that is what he has become through the years. That is the difference between the two of you."
"I don’t doubt that you have most of Robert pegged," I said, uncrossing my arms. "But I don't agree that he was never like me. He wasn't that way when he was younger. I have proof of that. Something changed him, and please, you're nothing like what he's become."
"I disagree," she said, moving to my side. "The world has not been kind. I have done terrible things over the past 3000 years. Somehow, I imagine your Diantha has done the same."
"My Diantha has told me a little about what she went through over the years," I admitted. "But that doesn't make her a bad person. Sometimes you do what you have to in order to survive."
"Perhaps you did not know her as well as you think," she said, instantly reminding me that Gaea had said almost the exact same thing. "You were a Fae there. It is impossible to explain to you what it took to survive as a human female in this world over all those years. It is only recently that things have changed. I doubt it was much different in your world. Despite what you may think, much has happened to her over three millennia. You yourself told me that she was hiding in Pahrump when you first found her. I, too, have had to hide from my past. I am sorry, Robert, but I do not believe either of us is truly what you think we are."
"And I say you're wrong."
"I wish that I was," she said, moving to stand in front of me. "I will tell you this. I have seen the way you look at me. I think your Diantha did find one thing that I will never have. She found you. You were much more than lovers and there is a sense of sadness in your eyes when you look at me. All was not what it could have been, was it?"
"I'd be lying if I said that wasn’t true," I admitted, my eyes drifting downward. "There were… complications. It's difficult to explain."
"I imagine it is," she said, pressing closer against me before brushing at my chest with her hands. "Which only proves my point."
"I don't think…," I started to say as she took a step back.
"Let us leave it at that. I hope the scroll is of some help," she said, then paused. "Perhaps there is one more thing. If you will indulge me." She moved closer again and wrapped her arms around me, putting her lips to my ear. "I would like to know what you feel for her. For just one moment in time, hold me as if I were her." Then she hugged me tighter and lay her cheek against mine.
She caught me off guard with the hug. Even so, I couldn’t help pressing closer, feeling the heat of her breath on my skin as she nuzzled her face into my neck. I hugged her tighter and I have to admit it was like being with my Diantha again. The beat of her heart, her scent and the warmth of her body, as was the fragrance of the perfume they both wore, were identical. I found myself hugging her closer as I lost myself in the sensation. Without thinking, I took her head in my hands and kissed her. She suddenly pulled back and the moment was gone. She didn't move for a second. There was the briefest hint of a tear in her eye and she swung around and walked away, never uttering another word as she continued down the hallway. A second later, I heard the front door open and close and she was gone.
I almost went after her. Almost. Oh, sure, I knew this wasn't my Diantha, at least not exactly. But that's not what stopped me. I knew in my mind that my Diantha was gone, the young Oracle that had taken her place would never be the same as the woman I lost. Not her fault, of course, and she was probably better off, no matter what I'd said to Gaea. Truth was that this Diantha was more like mine than I cared to admit. Exactly like her if I was to be honest. But I was only a human here and at some point Robert would be back. Better to remember that and not try to make things any more complicated than they already were. Besides, I couldn’t bear the thought of starting over just to lose her again. I drained the remnant of my glass and sat down on the couch to think.
Chapter 14
I'd finally grabbed something to eat and then gotten a few hours of restless sleep before my alarm went off at 2:30 a.m. With things starting as early as an hour and a half from now, I figured I might as well get a head start. Less than a half-hour later, I was on the road picking up my pac-set.
"507, 301. You out there Roberto?" I asked on our private channel.
"Go ahead, LT," he answered. "Sahara and the Boulevard."
"What's your status?" I asked.
"Clear," he replied. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm heading your way. Name a meet."
"Sixth and Sahara," he replied. "Be there in two."
"Copy that," I said, placing the pac-set between the seats and then turned the car in his direction.
I pulled in behind what would have been the Eureka Casino in my world and the home of my favorite Asian fusion diner, Fat Choy. Here, the casino was called the Heureka and the sign for the restaurant said Sheridan Su's. That was the chef and owner back home so I made a mental note to check the place out during regular business hours. I pulled into the lot and parked next to Roberto's car which was backed into a spot and shut off the engine.
"How's it looking," I asked as the window rolled down.
"Pretty quiet so far," he replied, resting his head on the pillowed seat. "Patrol's got extra units working out south and calls for service are light so nothing to report on my end. The bad guys must be sleeping in their holes. I was just heading to pick up the professor. I told him I wanted to spend an hour or two before the sun is up to do a deep sweep. I'm not holding my breath that we'll find anything but it can't hurt. Everything seems pretty subdued since the big guy's in town. I guess nobody wants to do anything to get noticed. What about you?"
"Just logged on and it's a little too early for the Feds just yet," I said, sighing. "Probably head down south in a couple of hours myself since I'm supposed to be playing liaison. It's just a bullshit title but I wanted to get a head start in case someone did actually need anything. Sheriff's orders and all that."
"Lucky you," he said with a chuckle.
"Yeah," I replied, shrugging. "I should probably pick up a lottery ticket across the border with so much of that rolling my way."
"Hey, which reminds me," he said, sitting up. "You know my brother-in-law, Bruce? The one that works for Arizona DPS?"
"Yeah," I said. "I think I've heard you talk about him. Why?"
"So Bruce calls me today," Roberto began. "Tells me this story about this Vegas lieutenant that made a wrong turn into a middle of a firefight down in Oatman the other night. Says he took down a whole team of mercs that were in the middle of a hit. Killed a Mage and a dozen Demons without ever breaking a sweat. Scared the shit out of the locals too. Had to call in the Feds to figure out what to do. Asked if I knew who that might be. You have a party without inviting us, LT?"
"Well," I said, grinning. "It wasn't exactly a party and it's probably better if you keep my name out if it. Truth is I only took out a Mage and three Demons. Everyone else that got killed did so without my help."
"Aahh…," Roberto said with a smile. "I do seem to recall you mentioning something about having had a long night pulling a caper for the Captain the other morning. No problem. I'll give him enough to make him happy and then tell him to downplay it. He'll do that for me. You know how rumors are, they only last until the next one."
"Yes I do," I said, thinking that Robert didn’t need any more attention. Not that it would probably matter in this case, but still. "I'll leave you to it then," I said, starting up the car. "I'm going to make a quick pass through the Demon Quarter then I'll probably go back to playing the Sheriff's bitch. I'll be on the channel if you need me."
"I'll let you know if anything comes up, LT," Roberto said, then gave me a mock salute and we made our way out of the parking lot.
I made the left and headed back toward the Strip, turning southbound on Paradise Road toward what was affectionally known as the Demon Quarter. Once I drove by the blocks of apartment buildings where many of the employees of the hotels and casino's lived, I passed Flamingo and the scenery began to change. Besides the Southern Nevada University on my left, the street here was home to a variety of bars and night clubs, as well as a few hotels and small casinos in between. This area housed many of the Demon owned businesses that catered to a slightly different style of nightlife that patrons of the Strip were accustomed to. Oh, not that they didn’t partake of the sights, it was just that they probably kept quiet about it when they got back home.
Demon owned brothels, staffed by Succubi and Incubi, were popular places for a number of tourists to frequent. Nobody here really cared too much. Prostitution, after all, was legal and regulated. But most of the big joints tended to ignore them publicly. Limiting advertising, if they had any it all, preferring to direct their patrons to other attractions like golf courses and their own, perhaps no less seductive, nightclubs. But just like the old days of Vegas when cash was king, palming a few bucks to a bellman or casino host would get you pointed in the direction of almost any perversion you might be looking for. Who were they to judge?
Don't make me no never mind either, I thought, as I cruised the quiet streets. The weekend was over and most of the crowds had already gone home so there wasn't much going on in the Quarter as far as I could see. The parking lots had a few cars, but overall, it was about as I'd expected. A little too quiet for my comfort but I was already edgy. I flipped a U-turn and made my way back to Flamingo, making the left and turning again at Koval.
I was heading to a place called The Giant Pallas. Supposedly named after one of the ancient Greek Gigantes, it was one of the largest hotel/casino's located off the strip and Demon owned at that. Although I had to wonder if the name was really just a play on words. There had also been a Greek Titan with the same name and besides sounding like a type of building, the name Pallas did rhyme with phallus. I wouldn't put it past them to have thought of that when they were deciding what to call the place. Especially considering the bulge in his loincloth when you first see the sign. Gotta love a Demon's sense of humor. But I wasn't here for the sights, instead, I drove into the six-story parking garage and made my way to the top. Unlike the Neptune, the garage here was wide open with no guards. I found a spot near the northwest side of the mostly empty level and parked, then grabbed a pair of revealers and binoculars before I got out of my car to take a look around.
I had a pretty good bird's eye view of much of the Strip and Paradise Road at least in parts. Thanks mostly to the distance between the properties here. Like the Vegas of old, this place didn't have door to door buildings lining the street. Instead, there were empty desert lots between the big houses. That allowed me to see the basic traffic flow, which was light. It also gave me the opportunity to eyeball the various marked and unmarked police units out there. I was just watching what looked like a small caravan of undercover agent's cars when I heard the faint beating of leathery wings above and behind me. I gripped the gun I'd pulled from my waist and turned my head to see who it was.
"By the Gods, Paige, you trying to get yourself shot?" I asked as the Demon softly landed on the ground several yards behind me.
"I'm surprised you even heard me," she replied, switching into human form and walking toward me. She placed her arms on the top of the barrier that surrounded the floor and leaned forward, looking out over the city. "Watching the boys and girls play, are we?"
"Just trying to get a handle on what's out there," I said, holstering my gun and sliding next to her. "It's pretty quiet at the moment, but with only one real route from downtown to the golf resort I'm not sure there's any safe way to get them there."
"Which is why they were moved yesterday," she said, grinning. "Only a fool would have taken them via the streets, especially in the dark of night."
"Carry them yourself, did you," I asked, although I severely doubted that was the case.
"Hah," she replied, sticking out her tongue. "As if…"
I had to laugh. She was finally sounding like the Paige from my world I'd grown to know and love.
"They used one of their Worp Mages," she said, turning to face me. "Loaded them up into their helicopter at sunset and away they went." She looked back over the Strip and waved her hands. "All this is a diversion."
