Page 38 of Shadow Seeking

I told them about the skirmish at the diner. “I reported him to the cops. They told me there seem to be more incidents like this happening. They also said the incidents of gang violence are up, as are general fights and brawls.”

“Are we near a full moon? That can bring the crazies out of the woodwork,” Dante said.

“No, and we’re far enough from the new moon that it shouldn’t be affecting us either,” I said. “Whatever the case, watch your back. And watch each other.”

The drive down to First Street, where the official entrance to the Underground was, didn’t take long. There wasn’t any parking near the entrance, so we found a parking lot a block away and made a fast walk to the official Underground entrance. There were several known entrances, and a lot of hidden ones, but the one through which most of the public entered was through a large gateway between two buildings.

Underground Seattle had started out as Seattle proper. Long ago, when Seattle was still a young city, it had been a lot lower. In fact, parts of it had been built on tidepools that had been filled in, which meant lots of flooding through the streets. Then, in 1889, a fire broke out that destroyed a number of shops. When they rebuilt, they built several stories higher, built over what had been the original streets. Those shops and streets became what was known as underground Seattle, and finally—just the Underground.

A few questionable figures began to rebuild down in the Underground, especially vampires—because it protected them from sunlight. Goblins and gang leaders established some of their headquarters down there, along with other unsavory types. The Underground went from being a burned-out shell of the past to a thriving commerce center and club scene.

To get there, you had to go through an entrance and then take either the stairs or elevators down to the main floors. While minors were technically banned, nobody paid much attention until a teenager got murdered or disappeared. Then there would be a commotion, but like the era of school shootings, it would fade out of the news until the next incident happened.

As we passed through the station-like terminal leading to the Underground, the mood shifted dramatically. It was as though a shadow lowered to shroud everyone in an uneasy embrace. My internal alarms were awake and kicking.

“Every time I come here, I get the creeps,” I said as we headed for the stairs. I trusted them better than I trusted being trapped in an elevator with people who were on the shady side of the street.

“Yeah, me too,” Orik said.

Dante shrugged. “I’m good, but I’m not going to turn my back on anybody.”

As we descended the stairs to the fourth level below the city streets—there were five, from what I understood—every step felt like another layer separating us from the outside. I wasn’t entirely claustrophobic, but I didn’t like being trapped in small spaces, and I wasn’t fond of caverns or basements. This was like being in a basement, on steroids.

“Ready?” I said, as we came to the door leading into the fourth level down.

“About as ready as I’ll ever be,” Dante said.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door, and we stepped into the heart of the Underground.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The fourth levelof the Underground was buzzing. The crowd here was bigger than the crowd in the stores on Black Friday, although people were more civilized. A labyrinth of clubs, stores, and restaurants, the Underground was always awake, always busy.

I looked around. “Where’s the Green Goblin?”

“I think it’s on the other side of the level,” Orik said. He checked his phone. “Yeah, it’s down the main corridor, near the other end.”

As we set out, I was surprised that nobody gave us a second look. In fact, we looked like we fit in. That surprised me, in some ways, but then again, given I was half-demon and the right people could sense it, since Orik was a giant of a man, bulky and unshaven, and Dante looked like a pretty boy, even though he’d reined in the glam, we blended with the crowd. I moved back so Orik could lead—he knew where we were going—and we wove our way through the mix of vamps, goblins, humans, and who-knew-what-else.

The noise from the crowd was disturbing. It was as though every noise was magnified. Maybe it was the acoustics of howthe level was built, or maybe it was just my nerves, but every sound seemed to echo around us.

The shops on the fourth level were less generic than on the first few levels. Down here, the fetish clubs, nightclubs, blood-bars for the vamps, and the sex boutiques reined. Scattered among them, were restaurants and taverns.

Though the entire level was lit up with recessed lighting, it wasn’t like we were in a brightly lit mall. The main color scheme seemed to be red, black, and gold, and I wondered if that was by design, or was it accidental? Some things seemed too perfect to be coincidental.

As we passed a seating area for a diner, I caught the eye of a man who was sitting there. He was gorgeous, with dark spiked hair that was long on the back of his neck, and his eyes were hazel, ringed with what looked like eye liner. He had a scruff of a beard, and his lips were beautiful. I caught my breath and froze, staring at him.

Dante glanced at me, then over at the man. “Come on,” he whispered, taking my elbow. “You do not want to playthere, trust me.”

I glanced back at the man as Dante hurried me on. “Why? Who is he? He’s…gorgeous.”

“He’s Dark Fae. Don’t get mixed up with the Fae, Dark or Light. They’re all dangerous,” Orik said, also whispering.

“Penn’s Fae,” I said.

“Penn’shalf-Fae. She’s different than her full-blood relatives. Full-bloods are around, but they usually reign in their glamour so they aren’t noticed as much. I will tell you this,” Dante said. “You’ll have the best sex of your life with them. But…if you want an emotional connection, you’re going to have to work like hell to find one. They use sex the way we use rewards…and punishments.”

I blinked. I hadn’t known that Dante has skanked around with the Fae. “Oh, really?”

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