Drown Under Earth - Shadows of the Night 3

Chapter 41

Hi!

Sorry for the late update - just another crazy weekend in my life (but crazy in a very good way, I guess)... Okay, guys, we're getting to the serious stuff. Brace yourselves for the next chapters. I mean it. Can anyone guess what's going to happen? Let me know! :-)

Lara

PS: Won't have access to internet in the next two weeks, so next update only in three weeks...

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Chapter 41

I stared at my fries until my vision blurred and went out of focus. The hustle and bustle of the restaurant vanished in one quick second. I was back in my own head, still too shaken, unable to shelf away what happened the night before. First the verbal chess match with Chris, then attempted mind-control by the head vampire of New York, and finally, to round the day off, a reunion with the Inri Brotherhood fellows. Too many people were gunning for me in this city – last night taught me that much.

The shudder came out of nowhere, threatened to let whoever else was in the restaurant see what state of mind I was in. I remembered sitting in the Raven's secret hideout, surrounded by dark witches with an itch to kill and destroy. Raphael and his rogues were listening in when I made my awkward phone call to the head vampire himself. No pressure there. I came up with the pathetic excuse that I found out that members of the Bloody Warden congregation were meeting secretly somewhere in New York. I told Alexander I would take him there in two nights. I said that I would only take him – and him alone – to the meeting, and that he was simply to observe. Alexander consented without missing a beat. I couldn't appreciate the singularity of the moment, I was too busy braving the Raven's stare.

He let me go after the phone call, or more to the point, dismissed me – as in: ordered someone to drag me into another portal. They didn't even have the grace to drop me off in front of my flat. I had to walk three blocks to get there!

I shook my head and finished my cheeseburger in silence. Somehow I lost my penchant for sarcasm on the way. I had less than twenty-four hours to come up with something that would stop the Raven and save my friends' lives.

The Raven didn't do empty threats. Even now I had rogues breathing down my neck. I went into second sight after walking into the restaurant and, sure enough, two of Medici's rogue hounds were just a few tables over.

Murder scene or not, I hadn't been idle where the Raven-problem was concerned. The witch whose services I employed about two months ago had also been on the call list I had been working off. Looked like I was going to pay her horrendous fee again sooner than anticipated. Who said black labor was cheap?

I had expected to get what I wanted relatively fast and easy. However, when I called her a few days ago, she doubted that she could come up with what I wanted within anything less than a week. I contacted her again this morning, promising to pay her twice as much as we agreed on before, if she delivered until the next day. She called me around noon, telling me she would deliver this night. Money talks, I guess.

I glanced at my watch, emptied my coke, and grabbed my bag, heading for the ladies'. I entered, eyeing the line of four stalls warily.

"I thought you'd never come," someone said.

I gave a start. Dammit. Get a grip, Anna.

I hurried into the stall beside the one the voice was coming from and closed the door with a jerk.

"Shh! What did I tell you on the phone?!" I said.

"It's alright girl, we're alone. I checked." She said it with a lazy voice, the kind of tone that spoke of routine and cool-headedness – none of which I could relate to at this point in time. "You have the money?"