Shadow Games Read online

Tarin let out a huff of disbelief at me. “You are so full of your own self importance!” he yelled back at me.

  “Something you should clearly know a thing or two about. Besides, I am a demi-god, so you know, important as opposed to a common demon.”

  “Way I see it Asha, this is more your problem than mine. You’re on the wanted list not me. So be grateful you’re getting any help from me. Like taking out the trash.” He said jerking his head at the other body of the unmoving dingo shifter he’d attacked.

  “If you truly love her Tarin, as I suspect you do, then I think you’ll do more than put in your best effort to help.”

  Tarin looked away from me and back at the dingoes on the ground. “Now, how about we do what they were supposed to do and deliver you to Arlow?” He suggested suddenly.

  “Sounds like the beginning of a plan.” I agreed. We both looked at the semi-shifted dingo at my feet.

  “What do we do about them?”

  “Leave them.” I stated. “After going over them for information and clues.” I started to bend down to dingo number one.

  “I’ll get Shaye to dispose of them after we’re gone.” Tarin said somewhat begrudgingly.

  10

  Laurundal was an abandoned old mental asylum that was according to the sign posted, due to be demolished the following year for a housing estate to be built in its place. There was no one around in the dusk of the evening that was setting around us.

  The grass was overgrown and the building’s ground were rather large, but off the main highway, so they were out of sight of passer-byes. We both looked up at what appeared to be the main building, the first distinct building you came across when you entered the grounds. Redbrick with a high white tower window, dominating it’s appearance. It looked like all the windows to the building were broken.

  Tarin nodded his head at the building and shoved me in the back towards it, my hands had been bound with a zip lock tie. We’d decided to make it look like Tarin had captured me and was bringing me to the drop off point, in order to not throw Arlow off our scent. Tarin assured me this was likely the best way to keep getting us information that we needed to figure out how to deal with this whole who wanted me dead scenario and how to put it to rest.

  After locating a mobile phone with Arlow’s contact number on it, He’d sent a text to advise the job was done and he’d be at the collection point, within the hour. There hadn’t been any response, but Tarin was certain, we would be met with one, when we turned up.

  Grumbling and glaring at him as he shoved me forward, wasn’t really an act on my behalf. I disliked the demon for what he was, for how he’d treated Katelyn so caviler, and for having to be linked to his kind in the first place. In all my existence throughout the eons that had been, I’d never had to bow down to a common place, demon.

  We walked into the main building through it’s half ripped off its hinges, door. The place had been trashed, several times over. Graffiti littered every space of the wall and floor. Broken glass lay all around, discarded rubbish and aerosol cans added to the décor on offer. I looked ahead at the main wall of the room we’d walked into. Someone had sprayed in big red writing “Help me” the paint had run down the wall from the writing, giving the impression of blood dripping from it.

  Underneath it was a response that had half been covered by other graffiti tags in black that said “Help yourself.” I looked around, and focused on the building itself, many souls had passed through the old asylum doors. But as far as I could tell, from what appeared to formerly be a main reception and office area that we were standing in, no major horrors had at least occurred in here. Not yet, but there were no guarantees for when I got my hands on whoever the fuck was after me.

  “Charming.” I muttered standing around in the ruined room and inhaling the smell of urine, dirt and general decay. At least there wasn’t the smell of death in the air. That was something.

  “What’s a matter, Asha, not like you’re new digs?” Tarin whispered leaning into my ear. “And you thought Katelyn lived rough.” I turned my head to watch as Tarin surveyed the room and it’s lack of contents.

  It was getting darker outside and the light was fading in the main room. “There are only two ways into the room.” Tarin stated out loud. “Through the broken windows,” He said pointing them out to me “Which means we would see the approach. Or through the door. Good visibility either way. We’ll wait here.”

  “You know, if this were reversed and I were waiting for the drop off, I’d have already scoped out the place, figured out the most likely way the bounty hunters would enter, where I could observe them from or where I should enter from.” Since the asylum was so far back off from the main road, there was not much around it. It was quiet and getting darker and quieter too.

  “Well it’s not reversed; you’re the package so get used to it.” Tarin fired off at me.

  The sound of glass crunching underfoot got both our attention as my ears pricked up and we both turned to see what direction it had come from. The whole building was probably littered with broken glass and rubbish if the room we were in was any indicated. There wasn’t likely to be a quiet way to enter or sneak up on those inside it. Maybe that was why the location had been chosen for the handover.

  “Okay, it’s time to bait the line, let Katelyn out.” We had agreed, Tarin and I that our best shot at figuring out what was going on and why was to use Katelyn as bait to whoever wanted me. If all they could see and sense was Katelyn then we could play the ‘just a dumb human’ card all we liked. We could have an advantage over our unknown enemies.

  The sound of heavy footsteps got louder as they approached us and we both waited, looking at the empty space of the doorway into the room. I closed my eyes and relaxed, allowing myself to feel like I was falling down in clouds. I called out internally to Katelyn.

  Katelyn’s brown eyes opened and glanced over at Tarin. It was the first time I’d seen him since the whole, “trying to kill me” thing had occurred.

  “It’s going to be alright.” Tarin said to me softly nodding at my tied hands.

  I look down at them, cable tied. Great. I’d gone from surviving my own death to being tied up and dragged where exactly? “Tarin, what the hell is going on?”

  “I’ll explain later, I don’t have time now, but for now, you’ve got to play along.” I frowned not sure of what I had to play along too, when Asha left and I came too in my own body it was all rather like waking from a sleep induced state. Confusing, and groggy.

  11

  A male figure appeared in the doorway and paused. He was slightly smaller than Tarin but he had broad shoulders, and muscular looking arms that were decorated with two tattoo armbands on both arms. One armband, a plain black solid line around his biceps, the other, something more intricate around each wrist. He wore leather pants, heavy duty boots, and a Harely Davidson t-shirt. His skin was dark, but his hair was black with blue highlights and he had a black goatee. It was an interesting contrast.

  But what really caught my attention was the item, hooked into his jeans, on display at the front of his leg. It looked it was a detailed, and gleamingly wicked knife. It looked like it belonged to some carpet stealing thief out of an Arabian night.

  His hazel eyes landed on us and he noted me eyeing of the knife. When he spoke his pearly white teeth, again stood out in the otherwise dimness of the room.

  “Who are you?”

  He smiled then, a genuine smile of confidence and warmth. “Allow me to present myself to you,” He said with a slight bow, his eyes never leaving mine.

  “My name is Arlow.” I could see Tarin from the side of me. He remained quiet and I quickly took in stock of the situation, I think I was meant to be his prisoner. If that was the case then it was best to give some attitude, of which I felt I had plenty of for Tarin at that moment.

  “What do you want with me?”

  Arlow straightened up. “To help.”

  “As agreed.” Arlow said holding up sports
bag and looking past me at Tarin. “Money for the girl.” His eyes kept roaming all over me. If I didn’t know any better I’d think I saw desire in his hazel eyes. What the hell was going on? Was Tarin selling me to this biker for sex? Was I sex slave now? How could I be a sex slave when I’d previously proven I was a prostitute anyway?

  “You owe me more than what’s’ in that bag?” Tarin said.

  Arlow smiled, but it wasn’t happiness on his expression. “How do you figure bounty hunter?” I tried not to let the surprise show on my face that Arlow was referring to Tarin as a bouty hunter. Was that really Tarin’s true identity and why he’d tried to kill me, or did Arlow not know Tarin was a demon?

  “You got my partner killed. You didn’t say what a bitch she was going to be to bring in.” I started to turn my head towards Tarin to say something, thought better of it and looked back at Arlow. I’d never seen him before in my existence. Hadn’t Tarin been calling me baby last night? Hadn’t he said he was sorry for trying to kill me? Now he was calling me a bitch to this guy, was he playing him or me?

  “If I’d told you what she was, would you have believed me?” Arlow said back at Tarin lowering the sports bag to his side. Arlow clearly knew what I was but I still couldn’t get a read on him. Which had to mean he was a paranormal I’d never come across before. “Would you have gone after her then?”

  “She’s just another Buffy. Got a couple of moves on her, if you let her get the jump on you, but that’s about it. Still,” Tarin continued on, “You get what you paid for.” He shoved me forward with a small shove in my back. I shuffled two steps forward.

  “Indeed you do.” Arlow commented dropping the sports bag. My eyes dropped to it and back up to my new captor. “Come now girl.” Arlow said softly at me. I stayed exactly put where I was. I wasn’t going anywhere with the biker and I wasn’t going anywhere with Tarin. I had to stall till I could figure a way out of the situation I was in, that I knew nothing about.

  “How are you going to help me?” I asked Arlow.

  “I’m going to protect you from those that would otherwise harm your kind.” My kind. He definitely knew I was a truth-sayer.

  “What makes you think you can protect me any better than Tarin has?” Arlow’s expression changed in an instant. It sharpened his cheekbones, his mouth set in a grim, tense line, his eyes narrowed and zeroed back in on Tarin.

  “Tarin Armadel!” Oh shit, I’d fucked up the game play, whatever it was. Whatever it was clearly didn’t involve Arlow knowing about who Tarin was.“ – you are the demon that tried to kill the Asha Vahisita!” Arlow roared pulling his knife out of it’s ornate leather bound covering that looked like an animals horn. “For that, you must die.”

  Tarin’s arm snaked around my waist and he dragged me back against him, using me somewhat like a human shield. “Now might be a good time for Asha to come out and play.” There was noise outside, that sounded to me, like cars pulling up. But I couldn’t be sure as I couldn’t see with Tarin, half hiding and obscuring my view by placing himself to the side of me.

  “Not until you tell me what the hell is going on here!” I hissed at him as we both watched Arlow’s body tense and ready for battle with us. Voices issued forth from outside the building. It sounded like the police were coming. Neither Arlow or Tarin seemed to care about the extra company coming our way.

  “Hand over the girl now and I’ll make you’re death quick.” Arlow spat out at Tarin.

  “Like I’m going to hand her over to you. You’re just another mercenary, like the two dingo shifters you sent after her when you put the call out for someone to capture her when you found out Katelyn was alive. You’re no different to them.”

  Boots hit the ground running and our room suddenly filled up with armed figures in what looked like riot protective gear, surrounding us with. They weren’t the police, but they were just as tactical looking. Arlow, Tarin and I glanced around at them surrounding us. “You’re wrong about that Mr Armadel.”

  A voice I didn’t recognize said as the guards nearest the doorway entrance parted to let the speaker through. Tarin straightened up and stepped out from behind me, and instead, grabbing my still bound hands stepped in front of me.

  Arlow’s eyes darted around, his knife still raised, only now he didn’t know where to aim it. We were all so very outnumbered. “Arlow is about as different as anyone can be. Since there’s only one of him, one of his kind.” The female looked over at Arlow who was bearing teeth now as if to growl at her. “There’s only ever one of his kind, at any given time, isn’t that right Arlow?”

  Arlow swiped his knife wide around him, as if cutting the air and creating space for himself. Ensuring the gun guards couldn’t close in on him. “Stay back!” he yelled at the female. “I’ll gut you.”

  “I have no doubt you would Arlow, but then I hear that being gutted by a Unicorn is much like death and orgasm simultaneously. Must say I’m rather intrigued by that concept.”

  “You’re sick.” Arlow muttered at her. She smiled back at him and that was when I saw the fangs. Vampire fangs.

  “Each to their own,” She tut-tutted at him. “Unless, you know, you don’t have your own kind to go to.” She said still smiling at Arlow. “Which would be where you enter right Arlow? Must be lonely being the only paranormal creature in this world, to lack a mate. Which, by the way, how does that work that Unicorns are born again if there’s only ever one of you around?” Arlow did start growling this time. I squeezed Tarin’s hand and he squeezed it back.

  “I guess it doesn’t really matter,” the mysterious vampire woman said with a wave of her hand nonchalantly. “After all, I only need one of you. And here. You. Are.” My eyes widened and I looked from the woman to Arlow.

  I let out a huff of disbelief. “This whole set up, this was about you getting to Arlow?” I blurted out quickly. She looked back over at Tarin and me together.

  “Oh now, don’t sound so hurt young one. I mean, could you come up with a better plan to entrap the most mythical of paranormal creatures? Do you have any idea how elusive Unicorns are? How rare? Then to see one in the literal flesh, well…” She looked again at Arlow. “You do not disappoint me Arlow.”

  “I don’t get it.” Tarin blurted out. “If you really want Arlow, then why did you have Katelyn marked for death? Why have me go after her?”

  12

  There is a moment when everything crashes in on you and you know that there is no turning back. That there is only one direction to take forward. It becomes your certainty, because for whatever reason, you’ve been pushed, put in a corner, forced to think this way, to act on it.

  That was why I let her out of me. Why I succumbed to the power within and let it out. Because after a demon tries to kill you and he does half-arsed job at it, like had been done to me, you tend to go one of two ways. You either wait to die or you try to figure out how to live. Dying was never really an option for me. I’m too fucking hardcore to kill, because of her. Might look human on the outside, but the insides, are full of Demi-God, goodness.

  Not that many people know that about me. Tarin Armadel, shadow demon, and my last business partner, sure didn’t when he tried to drain the life out of me. Otherwise he might have thought twice about trying to end my life. If he knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t have wanted me to reign down her anger on him.

  That was why the woman who was parading like she was in charge, didn’t really have a clue how much power she had trapped in the room with her.

  It still surprises me that I, Katelyn Phoenix, hadn’t seen it coming. Considering what I do for a job. Personal espionage on anyone and everyone. I was commonly called a truth-sayer. I got the truth out of others. But I hadn’t got it out of Tarin. Couldn’t. Because as I’d found out too late. Tarin was a shadow demon who’s very nature was based on seduction and deception. Harder than hard for me to read. That he was built on deception meant, there might be no truth to him. So I’d only got the feeling of a void from him and ther
efore, had no idea he was going to double cross me after doing some work for him.

  And now, I wasn’t sure I could so much as trust him. To make it worse, I’d rather enjoyed the seduction part of his game plan. It’s fair to say I’d fallen for it. What made it sting all that much worse when I stopped to think about it, was I’d never really felt, the things I’d felt when I was around Tarin.

  No guy had made me feel that desired, wanted and well, sexy before. He made me feel unique, like I’d been missing something from my life, until I met him. Now that I stopped to think about it, probably wasn’t that hard to play on my emotions. Given I worked the streets selling my body. That probably spoke volumes more than any psychology session or background check need ever reveal on me.

  Tarin made me feel it all with ease. And he discarded me just as easily. Now I just felt like a foolish girl. I prided myself on being a lot smarter than that, to be so easily conned by a guy or anyone. I came from the streets for fuck sake! I knew a player when I saw one. But I’d taken it all at face value and thought nothing more than I was being hired to do the job Tarin claimed to hire me for. To get information on some big time real estate deal from some paranormal players.

  Turns out that wasn’t the real deal as such. It was more along the lines of having something to do with killing me, because as I lay dying in the back of a limousine floor, Tarin had let slip that I was too big a threat to not just him, but his deal. I had to wonder why.

  But for now, I didn’t care, I just wanted her to rip Tarin Armadel apart on many, personal levels. Because that’s what pissed off demi-gods do when they are displeased, they unleash. So may the gods help anyone, who gets in my way. I jerked against Tarin until he dropped his arms from me. Causing the mysterious vampire woman to laugh.

  “Fuck you.” I spat at him. “Fuck you very much Tarin.”

  This was the woman who had given Tarin the command to kill me. She wasn’t even all that much to look at. Although she had enough ego to attract him. She seemed arrogant enough. “Did you even stop to ask that question before you tried to kill me? Or was it really just that simple that it was about the money?”