I wasn't real comfortable with that approach. I've done much worse things, but the idea of trying to seduce Adan for any other reason than the honest one didn't sit right. I also had a feeling sex might bring the spirit back out to play, and I wasn't ready to risk my skin just to get laid.
It occurred to me that I might be more clever if I didn't always rely on magic to do anything remotely complicated. I finally gave up and decided I'd have to leave. Once he was safely tucked in bed, I could break in, find what I was looking for and get out with him none the wiser. It would have been a lot easier without having to break in, but I was sure I had the spells I'd need to do it without waking him up.
I stayed for another hour so it wouldn't look suspicious. We went into the living room and turned on the TV, cuddling up on one corner of his large sectional. Maybe I'd get lucky and he'd fall asleep, but he didn't really seem to be in the mood for channel surfing. The cuddling led to kissing, things started warming up and I had to keep my eyes open to see if Adan's went black.
The first real break in the action, I checked my watch and sighed. 'I have to go to work, Adan.'
'Now? It's after midnight.'
'Gangster,' I said and shrugged.
'Oh, yeah.' He laughed. 'Okay, that's cool, if you really have to go.' We got up and he wrapped his arms around my waist.
'Yeah, I really do. Sorry. I mean, really sorry.'
He smiled down at me and kissed the tip of my nose. 'Thanks for coming over. This was nice.'
'Yeah, it was,' I said, kissing him again, and then I gently disengaged. He walked me to the door and a long kiss good-night bought my way to freedom.
I sat in my car until the lights went out, first in the living room and then in his bedroom about twenty minutes later. I waited another hour just to be sure. Then I spun my wallflower and nightvision spells, got out of the car and walked back down the street to his building.
'Security is mostly a superstition,' I said, and my B amp;E spell took down the alarm system and unlocked the door. I went in, shut the door behind me and climbed the stairs.
I stood outside his door for a few minutes and used a little juice to amplify my hearing. The open ductwork in the loft thrummed softly, and I remembered how silent it had been in the machineless world of the Between. I heard Adan in his bedroom loft, his breathing deep and even. I spun the B amp;E again, opened the door and slipped inside. As in the Between, Rashan's wards recognized me and let me pass.
I started on my left and systematically searched the large, open loft. I checked the pockets of the jackets hanging on the tree by the front door. I searched under the sectional and between the cushions. I rummaged through the DVDs in the rack under the flat-screen TV, and I searched every drawer and cabinet in the kitchen. Nothing.
I made my way over to the stairs leading up to the loft. I didn't like the idea of going up there with Adan sleeping, but not because I was afraid of being caught. I was pretty sure the wallflower would hold. It was too passive for Adan's wards to pick it up. I also knew his father hadn't given him a true seeing charm, or he'd have been able to see the ocean spirits on the beach. No, I didn't like the idea of going up to his bedroom loft because I felt like a fucking stalker.
I climbed the stairs slowly, treading as lightly as I could. The wallflower spell doesn't suppress sound, it just makes it easy to ignore, and I could hear the stairs groan and creak beneath my weight.
I found Adan snuggled in his queen-size bed, lying on his side with the flannel sheets drawn up to his chin like a little boy. He was sleeping deeply, peacefully, and his breathing was the only sound or movement.
I walked toward the bathroom, thinking to begin my search there, and then changed my mind. Even if he wouldn't know I was there, I didn't want to be in the bathroom if Adan woke up and decided to use it. That would push the creepy stalker vibe beyond tolerable limits, and I decided to stay out of there unless I had no other choice.
I crept back across the loft to the desk on the other side of Adan's bed. In the last drawer I checked, at the very back, I found the Vampire Fred's personal card. It proclaimed him Manfred von Hauptman, Proprietor, The Cannibal Club.
I used my witch sight to look at the card and found it dripping with the vampire's black juice. The scent should be strong enough for Moon Dog.
When I turned around, Adan was standing behind me wearing black boxer-briefs. His eyes were black and he was holding an expensive, titanium kitchen knife at his side.
I jumped back, banging into the desk, and fumbled the forty-five out of its holster. Adan just stood there, a flat smile doing ugly things to his face.
'Have you come to give me your skin, lover?' he asked in the same graveyard voice I'd heard the day before.
I brought the heavy gun up and sighted between those empty black, shark eyes. I willed juice and resolve into my arm to hold it steady. The eyes fixed on the stainless-steel barrel, and the motherfucker took a step back.
'Get the fuck out, or your host gets a lobotomy.' I was bluffing, of course. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to pull the trigger on Adan, but I was sure the hollow-points wouldn't make it past his father's wards. I was just hoping the spirit wouldn't know that.
The eyes bore into me. I thumbed the hammer on the forty-five and stared back.
The eyes dropped to the gun again, and the creature took another step back. 'Come to me in the spirit world, lover,' he said. 'I'll be waiting for you.' Then the eyes cleared and the knife dropped to the floor point-first. It thunked into the hardwood and wobbled.
I stood perfectly still, holding my breath. Adan looked right through me, then turned and looked around. He saw the knife and jumped back. He backed into a corner near the bed, panic draining the color from his face, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
'What the fuck?' he whispered, his terrified eyes darting around the room. 'Is somebody there? What's going on?' He moved forward, bent down and tore the knife out of the floor. Gripping it tightly in one hand, he checked the bathroom and the closet. I didn't move.
Finally, he crept downstairs. I heard him moving around the apartment, turning on every light in the place. He walked over to the front door, and I cursed myself for leaving it unlocked. I heard him lock the door and draw the chain, and then I heard him breathing heavily again.
Adan didn't come back upstairs. After a few minutes, he stopped searching the loft, and I heard him settle onto the sofa. I waited another fifteen minutes or so, and then crept to the edge of the loft and looked down. He was sitting on the couch, holding the knife at his side. I watched him like that for more than an hour before he finally fell asleep.
Moving as slowly and quietly as I could, every nerve on edge, I reached out with the juice and covered the nick left by the knife in the hardwood. My housecleaning spell wouldn't fix it, and I just had to hope the cosmetic job would hold up to scrutiny. I went downstairs and got the hell out of there, reversing the B amp;E spell to lock up behind me.
I was shaking as I drove out to Santa Monica. I could have used a little juice to make it all go away, but I just tightened my jaw and choked it down. Nine I found Moon Dog on the pier and we retreated to a low cinderblock building on the carnival side that was presently serving as his home. The building might have once been a concession stand or souvenir shop, but now it was just an unused storeroom. The security guys let Moonie crash there and even threw him a few bucks to watch the place. I guess he was cheaper than keeping a Doberman.
I handed Moon Dog the vampire's personal card. He sniffed at it, rubbed it against his nose, dabbed it against his tongue. Finally he nodded and handed the card back to me.
'Yeah, I think this will work. When I track, it's mostly the smell of the juice I'm following, and this has plenty on it. Probably gets his dinner all hot and bothered. I'll have to shift to track him, though.'
'How's this going to work? You need me to drive you around, or can you track him on your own?'
Moonie shrugged. 'I can probably pick up the scent anywhere in L.A. But if he's a ways off and you want me to find him before dawn, I'll need a lift. I move faster doggie-style than I do in the chair, but it'll still take a while if I have to hump it across town.'
'How will I know?'
'Well, if I run off you know I don't need a ride.'
'Okay, and how will I know where to go if I have to drive you?'
