Invincible (A Centennial City Novel) Read online

  There was a mystery to Jason.

  I would find it.

  And then I would break it.

  ***

  It was still light out when I woke up and I relished the warmth of the early setting sun, as cold as the air was on my bared skin. It was rare to see the sun in all its glory, setting or no, and I took a moment to stand in a beam of light, watching the sky turn shades of indigo and gray before night descended upon Centennial City.

  I took a deep breath, drew in that inexplicable scent that was the City, the crisp scent of snow, the barely discernible stench of blood, the stink of sewage.

  A faint note of sandalwood tickled my nose and my nostrils twitched.

  To the east.

  I ended up in a rather influential, rich neighborhood. Here, the brownstones gave way to large family houses, no, mansions with massive front lawns and metal-wrought gates, a few with their own security guard house.

  Such a price humans pay for security, for privacy. And yet, all of it seemed simply for appearance. How safe were these people behind their makeshift fortress of technology and brand names? What would happen if one were to simply disable the electricity they so dearly needed? What would happen to their metal fortress?

  The smell of sandalwood, warm and spicy, led me to a house at the end of a cul-de-sac at Howards Drive and I looked up at the large metal gate. In the distance, I saw a large building, perhaps two stories high with a large, curving driveway in front of it. Maybe there was even a water fountain, in front of it, but I couldn’t be sure.

  I took the sight of the small, golden plaque on one side of the gates.

  Eldridge.

  Truly, Jason was a walking contradiction.

  If that was his name.

  I could see the various security cameras, hear the faint, almost inaudible whir of lenses as they tried to focus on the shadow by the gates.

  I could press the small button on the intercom.

  Or I could simply jump over the gates and let myself in.

  You might say I make things unnecessarily difficult, but I prefer to think of it as a game.

  The jog up to the actual house took some time; I misjudged the distance from the gate to the house and by the time I made it to the east wing, my pulse had sped and a thin sheen of sweat slicked my forehead.

  The shades were drawn tight on the windows of the lower level of the house, and it seemed like the same was true for the second floor, although I thought I saw a faint aura of light on the third window of the upper level.

  Only one door was unlocked, a French door at the very edge of the property, almost hidden behind a mass of shrubbery and ivy that seemed intent on taking over the east wing.

  It was practically an invitation.

  I took it as such.

  Besides, the chances of just one entrance being left open…it was no coincidence.

  And it was no coincidence he sat in the darkness, waiting for me.

  “I thought you’d come.”

  It was difficult to reconcile this image of Jason to the first meeting when he seemed like a pathetic skater punk, all ripped jeans and hoodie. His attire changed much, his attitude wholly different.

  There was no sense of desperation, no sense of pity I could catch as I closed the door behind me, locking us in darkness that made my pulse beat even faster. “I beg your pardon. I hope I have not kept you waiting.”

  He flicked on a lamp by his elbow and while it did bring light into the room, it only shrouded him deeper into the shadows. “Not at all. I was curious as to how you would find me. But of course. The blood. You traced my blood. Just like you said you would. And here I was thinking you’d fed me a load of…crap.”

  His voice was different. Fuller. Deeper. Richer. Almost like old velvet drenched in something heavy, like honey.

  How much of the boy from before was real?

  Or had this all been some sort of act?

  His lips twitched. The hoodie was gone, replaced with a plain black button shirt, the collar so stiff, it looked like it could walk on its own. “You’re surprised.”

  “I wish I could say this didn’t feel like a trap,” I confessed.

  “I can imagine this is not quite what you expected,” he said, waving me to a seat placed across from him. I did not take it, opting to stand instead. Besides, this left the door at my back. “Won’t you sit down?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t feel comfortable enough to do so.”

  “You’ll make me ashamed,” he said. “Surely, I am a better host than this.”

  Such difference.

  I did not know this man in front of me.

  Did not know his ways.

  I knew next to nothing about him and that was worrying in oh-so-many ways. “You lied to me.”

  His onyx eyes widened dramatically. “Have I? I thought I was the very soul of honesty. Can you tell me what I lied about?”

  “Not words,” I said. "Action. I suppose you could call it a lie by omission. You had no intention of dying last night, did you?”

  He stood up, no less dangerous than when he was sitting, but no more. I didn’t trust it, not for one moment. I felt his strength, his speed the night before when I tried to touch his hand. “I have no intention of dying today or tomorrow, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  I found his words to be quite disheartening. “Then I’m afraid you are of no use to me. How else am I to infiltrate Noir’s security, if not for your so-called rampage? I need to gain his trust. You remaining alive bars me from doing so.”

  He walked around the chair, his fingers trailing the back of the chair, eyes never leaving mine, almost like a challenge. A dare. I dare you to do it. Kill me. It was a bluff, or maybe it wasn’t. Either way, it worked. “Haven’t you ever heard the saying, there is more than one way to skin a cat?”

  “Is there?”

  “You wouldn’t have to kill me, you know,” he said. “I’m sure the Elders would be more than happy to supply you with someone else, someone who’s so damned consumed with the noble sacrifice they would be more than happy to lie down and let you take their head off in front of Noir and his horde of bloodsuckers.”

  “So find another?”

  The smile never wavered from his dusky lips. “Can’t you?”

  Having to call Elder Chang and tell him I failed was…unpalatable, to say the least. “I’m not sure if I want to do that. Elder Chang would not be pleased to have to find another, not when he thought he found the perfect candidate.” I looked around the wide, spacious room, with a multitude of expensive paintings hanging on the paneled walls. A large mahogany bookcase stood adjacent to the French door, its shelves bursting with old hardcovers, some of the letters so worn, it was impossible to read the spine. “Are the Elders aware you come from such a background?”

  “They know what they need to know.”

  “I take that as a no.”

  His only reply was a nonchalant shrug. Worse than no answer at all.

  I watched him carefully, watched him watching me with that same, slightly derisive air that made me feel like a plaything, just something that would, willingly or no, bend to his will. “May I ask you a question?”

  “If you must.”

  I did take that seat. I sensed no immediate danger and if he did attack me and I couldn’t defend myself, this close to an exit, then I deserved to die like the idiot I was.

  He remained on his feet.

  “If you didn’t want me to find you, would I have?”

  He was silent for a moment. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  I looked down at my hands in my lap. “I see. This is quite unconventional.”

  There was no answer to be had in that expressionless mask. “I’ve told you the truth.”

  “Except the part about you dying.”

  He shrugged. “Well, I will die. Won’t everyone? But I have no intention of dying like a martyr. If I do kill Noir, that son of a bitch and I will do it on equal terms.”

  A hu
man fighting a vampire? On equal terms?

  “You’re not human, are you?”

  He raised an elegantly shaped brow. Gods above, but he really was attractive. “Why would you think that? Contrary to belief, there are humans who are able to fight vampires without anything else but training.”

  “Maybe there are, but it seems as though they don’t live long enough to boast about it,” I pointed out and then sighed. “I’m getting tired of all this cloak and dagger acting. Clearly, you are not the person I thought you were. You say you have told me the truth regarding your situation. The Elders know nothing of your true self. Tell me why I should continue sitting here, waiting for you to say something relevant, when it seems like everything about you is nothing but a lie.”

  He stepped forward then, close enough to touch, if only I reached out an arm.

  Too close.

  Much too close for comfort.

  “What I tell you, what leaves my mouth is nothing but the truth. Four years ago, my fiance was abducted. She was pregnant with our child. A week later, I receive a note saying she had been turned into a vampire and all contact with me would stop as of immediately.”

  So cut and dry. And yet… “You make it sound so simple. Was it really that simple?”

  “Is anything ever…simple?”

  I hated it when people directed questions back at me like that. “Is that all? All you’re going to tell me?”

  “In all honesty, Hwang, I think that’s all you need to know about the past. What concerns me is the future.”

  He sat back down and I let out a breath. Sitting down, he was far enough to be out of reach. I liked having that kind of distance between us.

  Strange. Before I knew the truth, I had been tempted to touch him, just to see how he would react.

  And now, you couldn’t pay enough to get me to stand near him, much less tap him on the shoulder. “Future? Who says there’s going to be a future?”

  If Jason couldn’t help me get close to Noir, then I saw little point in continuing my relationship with him. It seemed pointless, at best. At worst…no, best not to think about it. “Forgive me if it seems like I’m flogging a dead horse, but is Jason your real name?”

  Once the words left my mouth, I winced. It was a completely unnecessary question. It didn’t matter what his name was. What was it Shakespeare had said? Something about a rose being a rose no matter the name, right?

  “It’s real,” he said, leaning back in the seat, hands crossing in his lap. “As to our future…I can make it so you can infiltrate Noir’s establishment and take him out. Those are your orders, aren’t they?” His eyes glowed. “However, what if you were to kill two birds with one stone?”

  “An interesting proposition,” I replied. “Go on.”

  He seemed terribly amused. “By the time we’re done, a very strong vampire will be gone. I’m offering you a chance to come along for the…ride. What do you say?”

  I met his eyes, let my gaze harden. I’m quite good at it, apparently. “You say your fiance was abducted four years ago. When you said this before, I believed you. After all, for a normal human being, the only way he is going to receive assistance is through the help of others with more influence, more power. I have little doubt, that if you put your mind to it, you could crush the Fellowship.”

  “You flatter me.” The corners of his eyes crinkled, but there was no warmth to that smile.

  “Why did you wait?” I resisted the urge to walk around the room and turn on all the lights, even the small chandelier that dangled above us, shivering in the wake of the heated breeze that floated about the room. The small lamp by his elbow was providing light, but it seemed to make the darkness that much more obvious, that much more dangerous.

  He ran his hand over his strong jawline in a parody of thought. “Why did I wait?”

  “You had four years to exact your revenge,” I said. “Four years is a long time.”

  “It is a long time.” He straightened in his seat. “Would you like a drink?”

  I let my lips twist. “Remember? I don’t drink.”

  “Ah, of course,” he said. “How could I forget? Well, then I hope you will excuse me while I pour myself a drink. Regrettably, I do not have any juice.”

  Was he playing with me? It was an unpleasant idea. "That's fine."

  I watched him as he proceeded behind a large desk and pulled out a small, crystal bottle off a high shelf along with a short glass. The amber inside was golden. “Does Martinez know you could have bought the damn bar?”

  He laughed. “Unfortunately, or perhaps not, you are the only person who knows the truth, Ms. Hwang.”

  “Not Pang?”

  He stopped pouring as the glass became half full. “I do apologize. Jase…as you can see, was a bit of a test. I had to know who they would send. You see, in order to find Shannon and find the vampire who took her, I needed someone strong, but someone unobtrusive enough to be given much notice.”

  I blinked. “Unobtrusive?”

  Bringing the glass with him, he took his seat again and watched me from under hooded eyes. “I have a plan that requires a very specific type of person.”

  I have a plan that requires a very specific type of person.

  “And you think I’m that person…” I began, slowly. “You think I can blend into the background.”

  He nodded. “No offense, but it seems like most women do. Which seems strange, considering just how many women I’ve been betrayed by.”

  “Not all women are traitors.”

  His lips thinned. “That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?”

  I let that go. For now. “Okay. So you have me. What happens then?”

  “I will push myself into vampire society, get deeper and deeper until I find Shannon. Until I find out the truth. But in order to do that, I’ll need someone to watch my back. I’ve heard of your abilities and I think you might be the one I’ve been looking for. You’ve got a special gift, I’m told. I could use it.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said automatically.

  Only two people were supposed to know of my ability. Elder Chang and Adrian.

  How did he know?

  He shrugged and swirled the liquor in his cup, the absence of ice making this a somewhat perilous task. “I suppose I’d think less of you if you copped out so easily. Be that as it may, I know what you can do. The best I could do is hire a vampire and I refuse to trust something I want to bring down. Or I could hire someone else and then get killed a day later through their incompetence. No, it’s better to get such a legend as yourself on my side.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t…I don’t understand exactly what it is you plan to do. You plan on entering vampiric society? With me as your bodyguard?”

  He looked at me approvingly. I wasn’t sure if I liked it. “You can understand, can’t you?”

  So easy and yet… “So once you enter their society, then what?”

  “I will petition to find out Shannon’s kidnapper. I will petition for her life. That’s all I care about.”

  I drew in a deep breath. “You must have loved her very much. You will put your life on the life for a woman?”

  “If that person had once meant the entire world to you, wouldn’t you do the same?” he asked quietly.

  “I’ve never felt that way about anyone, so I wouldn’t know.” I pushed a lock of hair out of my eyes. “This is much more dangerous that simply killing someone in front of Noir’s mansion.”

  “Don’t you think it’s risky, that you could simply kill an assassin in front of Noir’s eyes and expect him to trust you?” Jason finished his drink and stared at the empty cup in his right hand, let it dangle from his fingertips. “Noir is no fool. He’s walked this world for centuries. He has lived through many an assassination and lived to see another moon. If I don’t put everything on the line, then I will fail.”

  I was not quite understanding. “So what is your plan? You can’t just walk into a mass
of vampires and tell them you come in peace”

  He rubbed at his brow in a distracted manner, eyes somewhere over my shoulder, looking at something that was not there. “You’re right. Humans have no right in the vampire court of, such as it is, law. Were I to petition Noir for the name and head of the vampire who turned Shannon, he would have the right to refuse me. And he would. However, if a vampire were to petition him…”

  The bottom dropped out of the stomach and the heady sense of vertigo made it difficult for me to breath.

  “A vampire,” I whispered. “You’re going to petition him as a vampire.”

  The glass dropped, shattered into a million pieces on the polished wooden floor.

  “Yes,” he said, staring at the broken glass. “I am.”

  5

  It seemed bittersweet, to leave the cat in the very capable hands of the elder woman who lived downstairs.

  But Mrs. Graham adored cats (she had four of her own) and Mika seemed to tolerate her well enough.

  I didn’t want to give Mika up, not when it seemed as though we had finally come to some sort of arrangement, something involving cans of albacore tuna and occasional petting accompanied by purring. The night I came back from the Eldridge mansion, head whirring from the confession, I laid down in bed and Mika jumped on my chest, promptly purring herself into sleep. I couldn’t remember the last time I had slept so soundly. I didn’t even have to turn on a light.

  I was making progress.

  And to give that up…

  “And you’ll be back…” Mrs. Graham’s rheumy blue eyes widened. “When exactly did you say you were coming back?”

  I paid the rent four months in advance. If things went well, I would be back in a week. If not… “I shouldn’t be more than a couple of months. I’m very sorry. This should make things a bit easier.”

  She stared at the envelope in my open hand. “What’s this, dear?”

  “It should be enough to help pay for Mika’s lodging.” A lump rose in my throat. I would not cry for a cat. “And perhaps some cans of tuna, every now and again. She seems to like Chicken of the Sea the best.”