Demon's Bluff by Kim Harrison

Author:Kim Harrison [Harrison, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2024-10-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

17

Panic twisted my thoughts as I felt myself yanked into a ley line. Quick from practice, I snapped a protection circle around not just me but Elyse as well. There was a whiff of erratic, confused thought…and then Newt’s mind was gone, walled off. She hadn’t expected that, and I felt her heavy presence hesitate as we hung in the high-energy haze of a ley line.

Until she shoved us out and the slow rise-and-fall thrum of the universe’s energy shifted to a bland, suggestive, rhythmic thumping.

My breath hissed in as I caught my balance. Elyse swung her arms wildly, almost going down. She was terrified, and I tugged at her until she looked at me. “You’re okay!” I exclaimed, almost embarrassed by the woman’s fear. But then again, she had probably thought we were dropping into Newt’s oubliette to be forgotten—or not. And from the scent of cheap alcohol and rude catcalls, I doubted that’s where we were.

“Where are we?” Elyse whispered, her eyes wide and scanning.

I let go of her arm. It was a bar, mostly men at small tables all facing the stage. Women and men wearing almost nothing moved between them as servers. Newt stood out amid the black wood and scratched floor in her robe and flat-topped hat, but then again, we all did.

“Dalliance?” I blurted, recognizing the living vampire on the stage, gyrating and playing with the crowd.

Newt’s attention flicked from the hidden speakers to me. “Dalliance?” she said, her black eyes blinking in an unusual surprise. “You’ve given yourself away. If you know Dalliance, you are an escaped familiar.”

“Familiars aren’t allowed in Dalliance,” I said as I figured it out. We weren’t in Dalliance. We were in reality. And not just any reality but the strip bar that would eventually become a memory in Dali’s jukebox. “Besides, this one isn’t in Dali’s jukebox yet.” I smiled at her, trying to be mysterious and esoteric. “Is it.”

I had only the one card. I wasn’t sure how many times she’d let me play it. As soon as she thought she had me figured out, the game would be over. If I didn’t have what I needed by then, both Elyse and I would be up the proverbial creek without a boat, much less a paddle, and I stood in the strip bar’s foyer and tugged the hat off my head, trying to look as if I belonged there.

At least we’re back in reality, I thought as we began to get noticed. Chin high, I took off my robe and snapped it out. Dust flew, and I stuffed it into my hat along with my sash. The scent of burnt amber became obvious, and more heads began to turn. Elyse followed suit, though admittedly not as flamboyantly, and I held my bag open for her to drop her robe in as well. Not my slave, my friend, I thought, hoping Newt saw the distinction. The robes had done a great job in keeping the red dust off us, but my boots were caked with it, and Elyse’s white tennies were even worse.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.