Page 29 of Shadow Running
“I do,” he said.“I think that they’re out for adventure and I just hope they don’t get in over their heads.”Dante hesitated, then asked, “Do you think we should yell at them to go home?”
“We’reoldin their eyes, remember?Even if they’re shifters and older than they look, they’re young in heart and mind, and they’ll see us as curmudgeons out to ruin their fun,” I said.“It won’t do any good.We just have to hope that they don’t fuck up.”
The light turned and I shifted gears and started driving again, heading for one of the more popular entrances to the Underground.
During the 1880s, a fire swept through downtown Seattle, gutting much of it.At the time, Seattle had been built at—or below—sea level, and a lot of the shops had flooded from time to time.But with the fire burning through so much of the business district, the city had chosen to raise the elevation up to where the shops wouldn’t be subject to flooding.So they built over the older parts of the city, but left them intact.
Around that time, the vampires and Supes took over and created their own city beneath the new streets, until a thriving community formed.But the Underground was darker than Seattle’s usual countenance, and took on a dangerous air.The upper two levels appealed to tourists, but they were carefully cultivated, and if strangers to the Underground veered off into the lower levels, they did so at their own risk.
The UnderPark was a lot near the First Street entrance, leading into the underground counterpart of Pike Place Market.Supposedly, minors were turned away, but that didn’t always hold true, and even an entrance fee didn’t discourage them.
I flipped on the alarm before locking the doors.It didn’t guarantee theft prevention, but it was so loud that it would scare away a number of thieves.
As we hurried toward the entrance—it wasn’t wise to stroll along in this area—I glanced at Dante, who was looking at his phone.“What’s up?”
“Lazenti just texted me the name of the bar.The demon’s still there, he says.Apparently, he—the demon—appears to be waiting for someone.The bar’s on level three, so we’re heading into dicey territory.”
There were at least five levels to the Underground.The first was mostly tourist stuff—with a few generic vamp bars so that people could go home, bragging they’d been in anactual blood-bar.They were fairly safe, and made a lot of money.Level two held both shops and residences—the latter mostly for vamps, though some low-life Fae were allowed to live there, like goblins.
With level three, came more serious territory, where the lightest of the fetish bars began to show, along with some brothels, and other, less savory, shops.Level four wasn’t safe for humans, or anybody the vamps, gangs, and mobsters hadn’t welcomed in.And level five was vampire-only, intrude at your own risk.
“Level three…we’ll be okay.Though I’m surprised a demon chose that level instead of a lower one.Most demons who live here aren’t likely to go window-shopping with grandma, you know.”A tingle in my stomach told me I was nervous, though I didn’t want to focus on it.The more I let my nerves get to me, the more mistakes I made.
As we paid the entrance fee and took the stairs down into the first level, the foot traffic was mild.It would pick up later in the evening, and I found myself relieved that we had arrived in the afternoon.I wanted to be out of the Underground by seven, if possible.It would be good to see Lazenti, though.We hadn’t met up face-to-face for awhile.He couldn’t come above ground in the daytime.
The moment we entered the Underground, the mood shifted.I brought up my shields and let my instincts guide me.
The Underground was mostly made up of dark metal, cool lights, and over the top embellishment.The top two floors were for show, mostly, with shops displaying bay windows with bright displays.Lower down, the décor was darker, and the shops more secretive.
We came to the elevator—it was generally safer than the stairs—and punched the button.
“Okay, let’s go see what this demon has to say,” I said as I stepped into the car.
CHAPTERELEVEN
The third leveldown felt eerie as we navigated through the corridors.
“What bar are we looking for again?”I asked.
“The Crimson Rose.”
I straightened my shoulders.Down here, it paid to exude confidence.Cockiness, no, but confidence went a long way in keeping others from bothering you.I started winding through the labyrinth of passages, navigating by the series of numbers and letters used to designate where various shops were located.Addresses consisted of the number of the level, direction, and then a complicated set of coordinates.The Crimson Rose was L3NE42-B.
Groups of people passed by, giving us a once over.A number were vamps, most decked out in leather or garments that looked like they were from another era—smoking jackets and corset-cinched brocade dresses that swept to the floor.I could tell they were vamps because, in the low light, the crimson rings around their irises shimmered like gleaming foil.But among the fangster-set, we also saw goblins, a few shifters, several humans, and a few other creatures that I didn’t recognize.
Dante pressed closer to me and wrapped his arm through my elbow.“Better to make sure we appear together, rather than anybody getting any ideas.”
I glanced at him, smiling.I was stronger than he was—at least when my demon was out—and more lethal, but I appreciated the gesture.
“It’s pretty dark in here, isn’t it?”I wasn’t talking about the dim level of the lights.
“It is,” he said.“I’ve been in the Underground a number of times, but seldom on this level.And when I was down here, I didn’t stay long and I was with a group of friends.”
We approached a corner and I consulted my directions.“We turn left here.The bar should be about half a block down this street.There’s an elevator near it, so we can leave that way.”
“There it is,” Dante said, pointing ahead.
In the flickering light—which reminded me of old fashioned gas lamps instead of the warm LED lights that the Underground used—the Crimson Rose was straight ahead, on the right side of the passage.The front was sleek black metal, polished so high that it shimmered.
