“So how did stripping her powers change her looks?” I wasn’t surprised to find out that Talia was a harpy. It made an odd sense with the energy I had felt off of her. She was blunt and abrupt, and I had a feeling she could be ruthless when necessary.
“It didn’t, but she met Herne, and he took pity on her. Even without her powers, Talia was a terrifying sight, and everyone ran from her but she couldn’t do much for herself. She couldn’t hunt any longer and had to learn how to integrate with society in order to survive. The harpies are a solitary race, and they seldom make friends even amongst themselves. Talia had to learn to be something she’s not. Herne petitioned Morgana, who gave her a permanent glamour. Talia chose the form.”
I suddenly felt like my life wasn’t so rough. “That must have been hard.”
Harpies were a form of shifter, although they did not belong to the Shifter Alliance. They were bird women, predators of an intense nature, and their shriek could deafen anybody who heard it. Often, they would take the shape of beautiful young women, and like sirens, lure men in to their deaths with their song. Thankfully, they were solitary creatures, and rare.
“She no longer has her shriek, nor can she shift form. The only thing she retained from her time as a harpy is her ability to sing. And even that is muted, mild compared to what it once was. Mostly, she’s stuck in a human body, with the ability to persuade strong young men to carry her groceries to her door. But Morgana gave her the choice of any form she wanted, and Talia chose her looks.”
I felt sorry for her, but knew immediately she wouldn’t want that. “For all that she’s been through, I see why she’d be crusty.”
“Oh girl, you haven’t even begun to see just how crusty she can be. She was downright polite to you and Angel. That’s why she’s not up front at the receptionist desk. But she’s good at her job, and we rely on her. I think it makes her feel like life isn’t a waste.”
“What’s Yutani’s story? He’s bound to Great Coyote?”
“Native coyote shifter. The native shifters have their own branch of the Shifter Alliance. Unfortunately, the universe seems to be geared on making Yutani the butt of its personal joke. But that’s what Coyote does. He teaches through laughter and ridiculous situations, and he’s a dangerous trickster, although not malignant.”
“I don’t know a whole lot about the shifters, to tell you the truth. Are all coyote shifters bound to Great Coyote?”
Viktor shook his head. “No, in fact the majority aren’t. Yutani was asked to leave his pack because the Trickster led him a merry chase and the whole mess ended up with a good share of his town being burned down. It wasn’t Yutani’s fault, and nobody was killed, but he was deemed a menace. Coyote shifters who are bound to the Trickster usually find themselves the odd man out.
“He moved up to Seattle from the Southwest and Herne brought him into the business about three years ago. Yutani was on his way to becoming a pretty bad alcoholic, and he was sleeping in one of the tent cities on the side of the freeway.”
I didn’t say anything, but I couldn’t help but think that Herne seemed to gather the strays and misfits. I wasn’t accepted by my people because of my heritage, Yutani had been drummed out of his pack, Viktor was an ogre who didn’t look big enough for his father, and Talia was a harpy without her powers. As far as Angel went, well, she kept to herself a lot because of her empathic abilities.
We pulled into a Fast ‘N Go, and Viktor ordered a double cheeseburger with large fries, while I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and a strawberry shake. I really wanted a mocha, but I could wait. We ate in the parking lot, chatting about the weather and getting to know each other a little bit, before heading down to the docks.
At one point Pike Place Market had taken up most of the area around the docks. Now called the Viaduct Market, it was still a mishmash of vendors, hundreds of stalls selling food and handcrafted goods, and services. Tattoo shops abounded, as well as fetish brothels.
“The entrance to the catacombs is on a subfloor level of the Viaduct Market.” Viktor glanced at me, his gaze traveling down to my dagger strap on my thigh. “Do you have a conceal license? What about a blade-carry permit?”
“Both. I don’t pack a gun. They don’t set well with my bloodline. Gunpowder makes me queasy, since even the smell of it can set me off. But I do have a permanent blade-carry permit. I pulled some strings with a client who worked for the city and he was very grateful for me eliminating a problem he and his wife had on their property. He wrote me out a permanent permit.”
Long blades were allowed in public if you had a permit to carry. Guns were highly regulated, and between the various permits and licenses needed to own one, and the fact that gunpowder was as good as an allergen for me, I no longer bothered with the idea of one. But my dagger, I couldn’t imagine being without.
“I have a pistol grip crossbow at home, I can use nunchaku, and I’m pretty good with throwing stars. I can fight double bladed if necessary.” I prided myself on my abilities, and it felt good to know they were actually going to come in handy. While I never liked finding myself in an altercation, I was damn glad I could take care of myself.
“That’s all good to know. What about martial arts? Parkour?”
“I train five days a week, strength training, agility training, parkour. While I’m not conversant with any particular martial art, I’m good with basic hand-to-hand.” I thought for a moment, then added, “I threw myself into my training when my parents were murdered. I lived with Angel’s family from the time I was fifteen until I turned eighteen. Mama J. was really good to me, and she supported my decision to become a bounty hunter.”
“You found them, didn’t you? Your parents. Herne told us about it when we were discussing whether we should bring you into the agency or not.”
“Yeah, I found them.” I closed my eyes, not wanting to flash back to the scene, but it was still as vivid as the day it had happened.
I had come home from school late to find the back door open and my parents brutally murdered. It’d all been a blur after that. When I realized that the police weren’t going to bother finding out what happened, I swore that one day I would hunt down the murderers and they would pay. I had always been athletic, but that’s when I threw myself into training and for over fifteen years I had kept at it. I was proud of my strength.
“I’m sorry,” Viktor said. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.” He opened the door to the Market, standing back as I entered. “We need to head to the west end. From there we can find the entrance to the catacombs.”
I shook away the images that were playing out in my mind, bringing myself back into the present. “I never knew there was an entrance to the catacombs near the Market. All I knew about were the entrances downtown—the main entrances.”
“Vampires don’t like it when people know too much. A number of the entrances that exist now weren’t around when underground Seattle first came to be. But remember, the catacombs were there beforehand and as the vampires took over the subterranean level, they found older entrances, and created more. I get it—it’s self protection. The bloodsuckers never know when some yokel is going to go stake-happy on them. Not that it ever ends well, and they’re well within their rights to defend themselves. It’s just sad when some cockeyed teen who wants to make a mark for himself.”
I glanced over at Viktor. He seemed a lot more philosophical than I expected an ogre to be. “Tell me more about you. Your mother was human?”
He nodded. “She’s a good woman. She and my father split up, of course. It would never have worked in the long run. I’m not sure why they even got together. She never told me and every time I asked she just said, ‘Later, son.’