CHAPTER SIX
Maddie was only mildly surprised to see Zanna sitting inside of her apartment when she arrived home.
"Hi, Zanna," she greeted her pleasantly as she locked the door.
"Your bodyguard sucks. Didn't he detect someone inside of your apartment?" Zanna asked instead of saying hello. "I mean, the Master said he was supposed to be good at this."
"Doug is supposed to protect me from threats. You're not a threat," Maddie replied practically.
"He doesn't know that. You don't even know that! I'm a warlock, Princess. Betrayal is in my DNA."
"You won't hurt me, Zanna," Maddie insisted. "You're my friend."
"The fuck I am."
"You are. We had coffee together and you went out of your way to get me a magickal talisman so I can report for jury duty. We're definitely friends."
Zanna sighed. "You're a very frustrating girl, Maddie. Look, I'm here because you're in danger."
"From your aunt?"
"From my entire fucking family, apparently. Oliver was telling the truth about that much. My bitch aunt-"
"You mean Josephine? She seems interesting," Maddie interrupted her.
"My bitch aunt," Zanna continued, "sent her bitch daughters to put a magickal mark on you that only a Blackrain can take full control of."
"I'm sorry... I'm confused," Maddie admitted.
"There's a shock," Zanna mumbled.
"I don't know much about magick, Zanna. What does this mark do, exactly?"
"It binds you to whichever member of the family successfully claims you first."
"So, who am I bound to?" Maddie asked nervously.
"Currently, no one," Zanna replied. "Much to my annoyance, that's going to change in about five minutes." She pulled out several small jars of herbs and a few magickal tools. The first thing she did was cut Maddie's palm with a knife.
"Ouch!" Maddie cried, pulling her hand away.
Zanna cut her own palm before grabbing Maddie's hand and beginning to chant in Latin. Maddie might not know much about magick, but she could feel it flowing through her now.
Her wrist felt like it was on fire. Maddie glanced down at it and saw a strange tattoo forming on her flesh. It was a sun wrapped in thorny vines that formed a pentagram. The vines trapped the sun, or perhaps they were protecting it, depending on one's point of view. Maddie chose to view it as a protective symbol. The tattoo was red, almost like it had been painted with blood.
Zanna had a new red tattoo on her wrist, too. It was identical to Maddie's. Zanna's tattoo started to glow, and Maddie realized hers was radiating with light as well.
"We just got matching tattoos," Maddie said with a laugh. "You know, where I'm from, this would make us besties."
"And where would that be? Venus?" Zanna asked.
"Minnesota, actually," Maddie replied. "Specifically, I'm from Duckland. It's a very small farming town known for our friendly people and our county fairs-"
"I didn't ask for a history lesson, Princess," Zanna cut her off.
"We call the residents Duckies," Maddie continued.
"Jesus fucking Christ, are you even real?" Zanna demanded.
"What do you mean, Zanna?"
"How is it possible someone like you actually exists? You're like a cartoon character. I'm expecting you to burst into song while little birds fly around your head any second now."
"I just like to focus on the good things in life," Maddie replied. "It's not a sin to be happy, Zanna."
Zanna ignored that. "Look, I need to get home and get some sleep. I have plans tonight, so try not to get kidnapped, hexed, or otherwise attacked, alright?"
"What plans?" Maddie asked curiously.
"None of your business, Princess."
"Oh, come on, share! Please?" Maddie gave Zanna her best pout, looking at her with big, sad eyes.
"Ugh, fine! Just stop doing that with your face," Zanna snapped. "I have a date, if you must know."
"Oooh, a date? How exciting! Who's the lucky guy?"
"Her name is Zoey."
"Oh, I'm sorry for assuming. I'm a big ally for the LGBTQIA-Plus community. Love is love!" She offered Zanna her best smile. This was met with Zanna's usual annoyed glare.
"So, how did you two meet? How long have you been together? Is it true love? I'm a hopeless romantic," Maddie continued.
"She walked into my shop. I just met her. I know the stereotype says lesbians fall in love fast, but we're not even at renting a U-Haul for the second date yet. Now, shut up. You're giving me a migraine," Zanna replied.
Maddie was excited to have gotten even that much information out of Zanna. She's warming up to me, she decided.
"Alright, go home. Get some beauty rest before your date," she said.
Zanna stood up, muttered something incoherent, and left. Maddie smiled to herself as she got ready to get some sleep.
+++
Eric hated to bother his coworkers so early in the morning, but he knew Jessica Johnson wouldn't mind. Jessie was one of the friendliest people he knew, unlike her younger sister, Tina.
The faerie had an affinity for controlling the weather, and in order to keep storms from destroying the City, Jessie had to find ways to keep herself calm. She excelled at this, radiating a sense of Zen in everything she did.
As Jessie opened the door, she offered Eric a warm smile. "Good morning, Eric," she said pleasantly. "Would you like to come in for some tea?"
"Actually, I'm here on business, Jessie," he replied. "I was hoping you could point me in the direction of a vampire the deities seem to view as very important."
"I can certainly try. Come in, Eric, really. We can talk over tea."
Eric followed Jessie into the apartment she shared with Tina. The younger faerie was clutching a cup of coffee like her life depended on it.
"Rough night, Tina?" He asked.
"Rough morning," she corrected him. "A very concerned, very chatty pigeon woke me up at four in the morning to discuss some vampire who everyone is apparently obsessing over."
"What vampire?" Eric asked, suddenly very focused on her words.
"I don't know... Some clueless redhead who moved here less than a year ago and knows basically nothing about the supernatural..."
"What else did the pigeon tell you?" It occurred to Eric how strange this conversation would sound under normal circumstances, but he needed to know.
"She's special. She must be protected. You know, the usual trope. Oh, and the Blackrains are coming, whatever that means. I guess the pigeon thinks he's Paul Revere, because he kept repeating it... The Blackrains are coming, the Blackrains are coming... Like, okay, Kyle, I get it."
"The pigeon's name was... Kyle?" Eric repeated.
"Well, I didn't ask to see his ID or anything, but yeah, he told me his name is Kyle. Is that really the important part of this conversation, Eric?"
"Fair point. I'll ask Heather to look into the Blackrains, and see if she knows anything about this prophecy."
"She probably does. That girl reads everything she can get her hands on, just like my sister does."
"The prophecy sounds vaguely familiar," Jessie chimed in. "I'll see if I can help Heather track it down."
"You're the best, Jess," Eric said as he took a sip of the tea she offered him. It tasted like vanilla and jasmine, and he felt instantly relaxed. He knew the sense of calm would not last long, so he treasured it while he could.
+++
Zanna woke up well after dark. She took a quick shower, keeping her favorite dagger close enough to easily grab it if she ran into trouble. Some people might call that paranoid, but Zanna had been raised amongst warlocks. She knew dropping her guard for even a moment could get her killed.
She briefly enjoyed the warm water beating against her skin before she finished washing away the rest of her jasmine body wash and shifting her focus to removing the sage conditioner from her hair. She'd met Zoey in her shop. Chances were decent that Zoey wouldn't mind if she smelled like herbs and magick.
She stepped out of the shower, taking her dagger with her. Zanna dried herself off and wrapped a black bathrobe around her body. She slipped the dagger into the pocket of the robe and headed into her bedroom to get dressed.
It had been a while since she'd been on any sort of date. Sure, she'd made out with plenty of hot girls in that time, and she'd gone home with a few so they could fuck each other's brains out, but they were strangers she met while they were both drunk at a bar, not perfectly sober girls who asked her out for an actual date.
Zanna sucked at letting people in. A lifetime's exposure to dark magick had left her with serious trust issues, so letting others in was nearly impossible for her. Usually, she was perfectly content to be on her own, but there was something about Zoey that she couldn't quite resist... Something that, if she was being honest with herself, went beyond just a primal physical attraction.
She studied her reflection and decided she'd done a decent job of preparing for her date. The sexy black dress she wore was short enough to show off her legs while still covering enough of her thigh to conceal her dagger. She had chosen combat boots for the night, offering her a place to conceal her athame as well, just in case.
A girl needed to be prepared, after all... Especially when that girl had just been thrust back into supernatural drama against her will.
She left her apartment and headed to Club Dionysus. The bouncer at the door studied her with a frown. "What are you doing here, warlock?" She demanded. The vampire's dark eyes narrowed as she seemed to dare Zanna to deny what she was.
"She's cool, Lisa," Zoey said as she arrived. She was clad in a short, tight red dress that accentuated all of the right points. "She's with me."
"You keep interesting company, Zoey," Lisa said with another frown. She shook her head. "Go on in, but behave, or I'll alert the Master of the City to your presence here."
"Actually, the Master gave me permission to live in Manhattan," Zanna replied, "so quit threatening me."
Lisa hesitated. "You're Zanna Blackrain?" She asked.
"I am," Zanna confirmed.
Lisa nodded. "Sorry. We've had a few warlocks causing trouble here recently. The owner is pretty strict about the no warlock rule right now, but if you're cool with the Master, you're welcome here."
Zoey took Zanna's arm and led her into the club. The walls and floor pulsed with music. Strobe lights danced around the venue. The walls were pure white without the slightest hint of dirt. There were Greek pillars on either side of the stage featuring identical images of Dionysus. Bowls of grapes and strawberries sat on every table, as did bottles of wine. The bar was illuminated by colorful lights, drawing the eyes of every patron as soon as they entered the club.
There were stairs on either side of the club that were blocked off by a red velvet rope. Each one led to a mezzanine where only VIP guests were allowed. Two men stood on one of the mezzanines watching the people below.
Suzy-Beth, her mother called.
For fuck's sake, Mom, not now, Zanna replied. I'm on a date.
Suzy-Beth, you pay attention to them! They're important, her mother insisted.
"Are you okay, Zanna?" Zoey asked. "You seem a little distracted."
"Who are those guys up there?" Zanna asked.
Zoey followed her gaze. "Oh, the tall one is the owner of the club," she replied. "The guy who's with him comes by a lot. I don't know his name, but I see him all the time."
As Zoey started dancing, Zanna focused on the movements of her body. She quickly found her own rhythm, and both women began moving in sync. The more they danced, the more Zanna forgot about the chaos that had recently thrust itself into her life.
Zoey shifted so her back was pressed against Zanna's chest, and Zanna leaned her head in closer, finding her way to Zoey's neck. Zanna wrapped one arm around Zoey's body and moved her hair aside with the other. She started to kiss Zoey's neck and it felt too right to be wrong. She kept that up as Zoey continued dancing against her.
Eventually, Zoey shifted so she was facing Zanna. Zoey pressed her lips against Zanna's, still moving to the music as she kissed her.
Zanna felt like her entire body had burst into flames, but in a good way. She thrust her tongue past Zoey's lips, enjoying everything about that moment. She lost herself in exploring Zoey's mouth and was perfectly content until her arm started to burn.
She pulled away, saying, "Son of a bitch!"
"What's wrong?" Zoey asked in alarm. Then, her eyes were drawn to the glowing light radiating from Zanna's newly marked arm.
"This bitch has the worst timing," Zanna mumbled. "I'm sorry, Zoey, but I'm magickally linked to the world's most clueless vampire, and of fucking course, she's in trouble. I've gotta go."
"I'll come with you," Zoey replied.
"You don't have to."
"My fire magick kind of makes me an adrenaline junkie. If there's a supernatural battle to fight, I'm in." She grinned at Zanna, raising her eyebrow suggestively before adding, "In my opinion, this is the best kind of foreplay."
Zanna laughed. "Goddamn, you're sexy," she said. "Come on. Time to go rescue my own personal damsel in distress."