Dance in Shadow and Whisper (Marionettes of Myth #1)

Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Yuuhi's mind had been in all the wrong places, thinking about all the wrong people. He couldn't bring himself to care about any of this, even as he stood in the crowded foliage between Jason's near-bachelor pad and the road, not a drop of energy in his body. A chill resonated in the marrow of his bones, driving home an ache that only a vampire could know.

Most any other vampire would have caved to their basic survival instinct already. Yuuhi was used to it.

When he received the call from the unknown local number, he answered. "Hello?"

"Yuuhi, it's Duilio."

"Ah. Mr. Caelestis Part Two."

"Part One, actually, and you sound just awful. A bit of a head cold?"

Despite the ten-thousand years of hunger condensed into his body, he couldn't help a little half smirk. "Recovering."

"Very well. I've a bit of an unorthodox request, and I feel just awful for making it, as you've been nothing but voluntarily helpful to us so far, but we seem to have displaced Kali quite accidentally."

Unf, Kali. Of course she would choose now to be most inconvenient.

Lio continued. "I don't suppose you might have any inkling as to where she might be, would you?"

"Can't sniff her out?"

"Oh, I've sent out my boys already. The wind, however, comes with its inherent problems in regards to tracking, and I'm certain she wouldn't make herself readily accessible."

Yes, Kali would have to make things difficult. "I might have an idea, Mr. Caelestis. I'll take a look and let you know."

"Dually appreciated-and please, Yuuhi, Lio is fine. You've only about half a century under me, as I understand it."

The crooked smirk returned. Yuuhi was used to addressing everyone by 'mister' and 'miss'. Before then, 'lord' and 'lady'. Before then, proper Japanese titles, and before that, well...he couldn't quite remember. But since he would never appear older than the seventeen that he'd been turned at, addressing everyone as his senior had become habit.

Still, he obliged Lio's request and they said their goodbyes. Lio might have been concerned that she had left the property altogether, but Yuuhi wasn't. He picked up his feet from the spongy soil and pushed through the bushes and tree parts. He hadn't the energy to spare, but he extended his invisible fingers into the shadows at a perfect circumference around him, sifting and searching for life.

As expected, he located her. He stomped and rustled branches and made as much intentional noise as he could, so when he rounded the bend and circled to the opposite side of the tree, Kali wasn't alarmed.

Hell, by the looks of her, sitting on the soggy ground with her back to Jason's house, knees pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs, hair a curtain around her, it seemed she didn't give half a shit either way.

Still, he approached cautiously, one hand grazing the damp, coarse bark of the tree, the other waving away flies that didn't know what to make of an animated corpse like himself. He followed her line of sight out to the street, but webs of branches and leaves provided a protective veil over her. If Toivo and Carmi passed via that Hot Wheels truck, she would have blended in, and they wouldn't have spotted her. And he gave a lot of credit to demon eyes.