A Tempest In The Night Part 4

Book Two

Chapter Three

Ilida sat up, leaning against her plain, white bottom cabinets. The sharp, throbbing pain in her frontal lobe receded to a dull ache.

Another telepath? Of course, she knew there were others out there but she'd never made contact, or did she contact him?

Angry Man had skill. He knew she was lying on the floor on something cold at least. She smiled to herself thinking about his terse questions and statements. He's used to being in command. Oh, man, way too much mental energy spent on a stranger.

Ilida stood up, wiped her eyes, and walked to the bathroom. She walked out backwards with her aunt Ca.s.sandra walking toward her. Ilida hunched over and her fists clenched at her sides. "I swear can't you ever knock or call first?" She made an unintelligible sound as she sat on the couch.

All she wanted was to get on with her night, type out her reports for the daily meeting. Every time her aunt popped over it was a reminder of how different she was no matter how hard she tried to pretend. She wondered what her father would say if he knew, she was having psychic headaches. He'd probably flip. He'd punished her at fifteen for using her powers- grounded her for a month.

The tall woman with the worn straw hat, long amber dreadlocks littered with dried leaves shook her head. "I knew this would happen, girl."

"Knew? About my leaks? Can you stop it?" Ca.s.sandra was the only one she knew and trusted to stop her telepathic leaks, but as she watched, her aunt's crow's feet deepen. She had a feeling it wouldn't be easy.

"Tut, tut. It won't be easy."

Ca.s.sandra was a psychic of unknown potential. Unknown potential to Ilida that is. She knew Ca.s.sandra was a telepath and diviner, but that's all she knew. Ca.s.sandra had skeletons in her closet she wouldn't share with her. "You're kidding me. Please tell me this is one of your bizarro jokes."

"Not my only gra-niece! I could kill you." She shook her head. "Do it I will not." Ca.s.sandra took off her straw hat in a dramatic gesture.

With each moment, her hope faded. "Why would it kill me, Ca.s.sandra?"

"Strong in mind you are. Something in you would resist."

Resist? All she ever wanted was to be normal. "You know I don't want this... power."

"You have it in spades. You may have more." She clutched Ilida's chin, rubbing the side of it. "You took after me."

"Great! I need morphine to celebrate," she said as she walked into her bathroom again. Ilida moved her shoulders in a circle and prompted herself to think back to that imaginary place, but thoughts of her angry psychic...friend intruded. Okay, she was curious as h.e.l.l about him. Why? What was she going to do storm troop his head again and offer him her help? He asked her to stay out of it. She didn't blame him. What happened was weird, to say the least.

"Will you help him?"

Ilida jumped hurting her neck. Ca.s.sandra had the softest footsteps. She thought the woman floated rather than walked. That was the mystery of Ca.s.sandra. She faced her aunt. "It's none of my business, Ca.s.sandra." She opened the lacquered pine and oak medicine cabinet, moved a few bottles of over-the-counter pills aside, and grabbed the small bottle of ibuprofen.

"But you know you will. I sense fire in your blood. Curious you are."

Ilida popped the pill in her mouth. Ca.s.sandra stepped aside to let her out. Ilida grabbed a gla.s.s from the upper cabinets in the kitchen then filled it with filtered water from the tap. She drank the water swallowing the pill down. "For once I'm going to stay the h.e.l.l out of people's business and do my work. I have reports to type up."

Ilida heard the scratch on wood then flame eerily illuminated Ca.s.sandra's nose and hazel-brown eyes much like her own. Genes are strange, Ilida mused.

"How long will you let this insane behavior continue?" She took a drag then blew smoke.

Her aunt loved to smoke her cherry flavored, slim cigarettes. Ilida didn't like the smell it left in her apartment, nor Ca.s.sandra's need to remind her of what she'd left behind five years ago. "What insane behavior, Ca.s.sandra?"

"Stop pretending to be anything other than what you are," Ca.s.sandra said, pointing her finger and cigarette at her.

"Go away, Ca.s.sandra."

"Stubborn girl."

"Stubborn wom-" Ilida peered to her left then right. She was alone in her apartment once again. "Call next time!"

I walked back into the living room. The woman's voice remained in my head...and my heart. Alec and Tania's eyes were heavy on me. I put up mental shields to block out their questions. My family meant well, but they were intrusive at times.

As I walked to my desk Alec held up my Ninja mask.

"A Ninja? All this time you never told me you were a Ninja," Alec said, as he tossed the mask into my waiting hands. I didn't talk about myself much. How do you tell your brother you're a trained a.s.sa.s.sin? He should have figured it out a year ago when we fought the Jacquerie together for the first time. That night was a night of firsts for all of us. "I learned Ninjitsu as well as Bushido." I wasn't in the mood for a lecture. Alec may be pushing one thousand but I have an old soul. I'm too seasoned for a lecture on proper family functionality. "It just never came up."

"What happened on the balcony?" Alec asked.

"Nothing to concern yourself with." I don't know what happened. It was strange, exciting. It was something had to be pondered another day.

"Daedalus?"

I rolled the opening of the mask. The micromesh material is stretchy and adheres to itself. "I have to find my daughter. Are you coming or not?"

"I'm coming."

"So am I," Tania said.

"No!" We spoke simultaneously then looked at each other, surprised. This was none of my business. She's my friend and sister-in-law, but... I had to intervene. I care about Tania too much to let her get hurt. Besides, I want to see my niece or nephew one day. Women's lib be d.a.m.ned tonight.

Before I pulled on my mask I said to Alec, "Meet you on the roof." I opened the balcony door again, jumped on the wall and climbed on all fours up the red brick facade. I settled on the roof of my dojo, waiting for Alec. I couldn't help but hear Alec and Tania's conversation.

"Now you're going to listen to him?"

"He's right," Alec said. "You are trying to get pregnant. What if you are now?"

"Alec?"

"I'll meet you at home."

"I'm Queen and I belong by your side."

"Yes, and if I'm killed tonight you take over."

"I have to do something besides make like June Cleaver and twiddle my thumbs at home. I'll make some calls to Matt."

"Tell him to be on standby to divert the cops"

"Thanks a lot, Daedalus."

That hurt, but Alec was right in putting his foot down with her. I didn't want to lose her friendship, though.

After a few minutes of waiting, Alec appeared behind me. "Ready, Alec?"

"She'll get over it."

"Right, let's go to Juliana's place, first." We leaped onto the next roof with uncanny synchronicity, like siblings who were raised together. We weren't, but it was interesting to play observer and witness how we mirrored each other at times almost down to the wings. Almost.

"And if she's not at her apartment?"

"There's a club in Chelsea she hangs out at." Juliana is always ready for dancing and having a good time. The one thing we had in common. It also tore us apart.

I should have kept a tighter reign on her. She was angry and belligerent when we talked last. She hated me and I know why. I wasn't there and she resented my intrusion into her life now. If I were her, I would have picked up and left years ago. I wasn't a real father to her. Maybe I was too afraid to be her father. I didn't have a glowing example to live up to. I don't know how to love and she knows it.

"I'm sure she's all right, Daedalus."

"Yeah," I said not really listening. The roofs of the buildings stretched before us. I tried to keep the panic at bay.

"About my niece?" Alec prompted.

His niece, my daughter. We're family now and I have to keep remembering that. "I kept her a secret so that she wouldn't be a target," I said, clearing one rooftop running then jumping across to the next. Alec kept paced. To the human eye, we're a gust of wind.

Vampires are super human.

"Did you have to keep her a secret from us? From Tania? We are your family, right?"

"You more than made your point." It wasn't over. I hurt his and Tania's feelings. They won't let me forget it especially after I introduce them to Juliana.

"I can make my wings grow and can get us there faster. Though I know you can fly, too," Alec said.

"My bat self is useless without and extra pair of clothing and your wings hurt you."

"I feel your panic."

"We're here," I said as we landed on her roof. Here. Downtown. The noise was deafening and the buildings shorter. My heart was pounding and I still couldn't push the conversation with that woman out of my head.

"What happened to you back there?" Alec asked.

He read my thoughts. I raised my shield, my steel door to keep him out. My fear of Hermes hurting my daughter made me lax. "Nothing."

"It didn't seem like nothing," He narrowed his eyes at me, aware of my shields.

"Leave it be, Alec. This is Juliana's apartment. She's on the top floor. Right below you." I held onto the ledge, flipped over it, and released my hands landing on her balcony soundlessly.

The screen door locked from the inside. It didn't deter me. I telekinetically unlocked it. Alec followed me inside. I didn't hear her, feel her, or sense her here. Nothing. There was one other place she could be. "Club Amaranthine."

"Where is that?"

"You should know. Your ex girlfriend use to own it."

Chapter Four

Ilida sighed as she stared out the living room window. Droplets of water fell against the pane. She should type her report, watch a movie and then go to bed. "I have to help him," she said to herself. Then she sniffed the cherry tobacco and rolled her eyes. Ca.s.sandra, Ca.s.sandra. She's never too far away.

"And do this how?"

"Find his daughter for him."

The tall woman with the amber-curled dreadlocks shook her head sadly. "My dear niece you are out of practice."

"Yeah, but I have to help him," Ilida said, closed her eyes.

"Let your mind drift out to him. Don't let him know you are there."

Ilida nodded then let her consciousness take over. Her mind's eyes saw in grayed hues. Bright lights with voices floated past her, their inner thoughts exposed to her.

The pain slowly advanced on her brain, again. She had to move faster to outrun her headache.

Ilida locked onto Angry Man She had to get in there and out just as fast. He was agitated, annoyed and his shields were down. He was listening to someone talking. Another man's voice? A name bounced back and forth between them. Juliana.

Angry Man was agitated, frightened. The other man-she couldn't read his thoughts. He'd erected a tall brick wall shutting her out.

She ran out of his mind, fast, and ran down the path to his daughter. Angry Man had to be a powerful psychic as well. He was linked to Juliana. It made sense if she was his daughter.

She could feel her head stretching and her blood vessels constrict. The voices doubled in quant.i.ty and tripled in sound volume. She was forcing her mind and body to its limits.

Where is she?

A faint signal became clearer and more distinct. The signal's light sparkled brighter, like someone adjusted a fancy flashlight.

Soon, Ilida was surrounded by music and more disembodied voices surrounded by light. It was all mental traffic until she heard a lyrical laughter, clink of gla.s.ses and techno dance music. Her favorite group was spinning on the DJ's table. The lights shimmered and moved. People danced and grooved to the music. Juliana is in a dance club. Juliana? Juliana?

What?