Orchid snickered. “He can handle it,” she said, then punched Daniel’s ear in a show of fondness. “I won’t let him eat you, Daniel. Promise.”
I feel so much better now, Trisk thought as the back doors opened and they all got out.
The predawn morning was warm despite their being right on the river, and when Leo headed for the barn instead of the house, she balked. “Ah, I don’t think so,” she said, and Sam, currently carrying Kal over his shoulder, snickered.
“It’s this way,” Leo insisted. “There’s an entrance downstairs from the old whorehouse, but I’d rather bring you in through the business door. You’re his guests.”
A smile, real this time, came over his face, but it still didn’t feel safe as she followed Leo into the cool depths of the barn. The echoes were almost nonexistent, and she could tell there hadn’t been a horse in here for more than a hundred years. Now it housed old cars under tarps and furniture in the rafters, everything lit with new, modern lights. There was even a corner holding an efficiency kitchen and a plastic-top table where drivers could relax, complete with a couch and a color TV. A man watched them pass before him, the thump-thump . . . whap of the Super Ball he was throwing against the wall getting on her nerves.
“We’re putting in an elevator next week, or at least, we were,” Leo said as he opened a pair of double doors. They looked like mahogany, dark from age and incredibly thick. There were burn marks on the outside. “Shipping has slowed dramatically. Sorry about the stairs.”
“No problem,” Daniel said, and Orchid’s dust glowed as they spiraled down two stories. Wondering if she’d ever walk back up, Trisk clasped her arms about herself.
Leo used a key, then whispered a password to open the metal fire door at the base of the stairs. Lips pressed into a bland smile, he passed ahead of them to hold the door. Sam went first with Kal, and then she and Daniel followed, Orchid still on the man’s shoulder as promised. Not a password, a charm, she thought at the tingle of magic prickling through her aura when she crossed the threshold and stopped, gaping.
Trisk wasn’t sure what she had expected, but the height of the ceiling surprised her, even if the walls were the original stone. The room felt airy, too, as if the evenly spaced banks of closed curtains might have a view of the river instead of bare wall should she twitch them aside. It was tastefully decorated with wood floors that threw back the glow of the numerous lights.
Being about the size of the barn upstairs, the large space was like one big living room, with modern-looking couches and chairs clustered in several areas. One centered around a color TV, currently muted and showing the news. Another had a large album collection with two turntables. A third sported a wet bar. The artwork on the walls was flamboyant and colorful, very much not her taste. There wasn’t even a hint of musty dampness, surprising her. It was warm, and she unzipped her jacket.
“Wow, that’s a smell you don’t forget soon,” Orchid said, and Daniel breathed deep, shrugging. The musky scent was pleasant, like incense.
“All I can smell is pasta,” Daniel said as he took his police jacket off. “This is amazing.”
“Do you like it?” a man at the bar said, and Trisk started, not having seen him. “It began as a hole under the stables, a place to hide escaping slaves. They were free once they were on the other side of the river and in Ohio.”
The man set his glass down and came forward. It wasn’t a suit he had on so much as an elegant housecoat, something an Englishman of the eighteenth century might wear before retiring to bed. His face was clean-shaven, and there wasn’t a hint of hair on his head to give away his age. There was a youthful tightness to his features, but his eyes were old, the pupils so wide that his brown eyes looked black. Even with the slippers he wore, he looked more in charge than if he had been wearing this year’s suit with a briefcase in his hand. Egyptian? Trisk wondered as he stopped before them, a pleasant, closed-lipped smile on his face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” he said, and Daniel gasped when the man’s lips parted to show very long, sharp canines.
“Knock it off!” Orchid said, smacking his ear. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“My God,” Daniel whispered, a bright red as he ignored Piscary’s proffered hand.
“No, but close.” Piscary turned to Trisk. “Dr. Cambri?” he added, taking her hand.
Her pulse quickened; a predator who killed without a thought was kissing the top of her fingers. “Piscary,” she said, having to try twice before her voice worked.
“And Dr. Plank,” he said, trying again now that Daniel had recovered. Trisk breathed easier when he looked away. Daniel cautiously extended his hand, his breath coming out in an odd, stressed almost-giggle, causing Orchid to dust an embarrassed red. But honestly, the man was doing remarkably well for not even having known vampires existed three days ago.