The Partisan Chronicles [Dystopia | Supernatural | Mystery]

Feargus

Seeing as it was the plan, we met the Tragers' butler outside the Gander. Alexander was looking dapper in a dark blue suit, Ivana looking foxy in a showy black number, and I wasn't doing half bad myself. I'd even tamed my hair and trimmed my beard. The butler walked us through the city while staying a good distance ahead, leaving us our privacy.

"So if you weren't attending debauchery parties, what did you do when it was one of your sisters' turns to run the Peak?" I asked Ivana.

"What I did when I was alive," she answered. "I took classes in the city."

"What kind of classes?"

Alexander picked up his pace. "Ivana has mastered hundreds of interesting skills over the centuries."

"Like?"

"Basket weaving," Ivana answered. "Crochet. Blacksmithing. Pottery. Book-binding."

"Is there anything you can't do?"

"Yeah, I can't whistle."

Eventually, we stopped in front of a townhouse in the upper-class section of the city. When the door opened, it was immediately clear it was much bigger on the inside than it seemed on the outside. Everything about the decor was clean; a lot of straight lines and a monochromatic scheme. It reminded me of the Jaskar in that way.

Derek and Della met us at the door.

To say they both looked surprised was an overstatement because it was a flash in the pan, but it was there. And to say I was making a statement was an understatement. See, by showing up with Ivana—and now Alexander—it sent a strong message: I know what you are, and now you know that I know. But I'm still here, and you can trust me.

"We're so glad you're here," Della said. "All of you."

There was a moment where Derek caught my eye, and I caught Alexander catching my eye catching Derek's eye. Alexander raised a thick, bushy brow, Della just smiled, and Ivana put her hand on my butt.

Didn't I tell you this was the best job I'd ever been assigned?

"And Ivana Novak, what a surprise. How long has it been?" Derek asked.

"Who keeps track anymore?" Ivana mused.

"Thirty-three years!" Della announced. "It was a wedding—oh, but whose was it?"

All four Anima froze while they tried to remember, and then they shrugged, and finally, Derek gestured us through a narrow hallway lit by fancy sconces.

The guests in the sitting room still had their clothes on, and there was a collective held breath when they spotted me. Alexander chuckled, gave me a pat on the back, and made his way over to meet his lady friend. He pressed his cheek to hers, whispered something, and they promptly excused themselves down yet another hallway.

As you might remember from Alexander's story back in The First One, he'd met his late wife Isabella at a brothel, and though he was never a client of hers, she'd secretly watch while he was being flogged by her colleague. Short story: Alexander was a masochist, and he was about to get put in his place in room number five.

As for the other guests, judging by those who were eating and drinking, and those who weren't, it was a combination of Anima and Barren. I wished Rhian could be there. We'd always loved the idea of tiny food.

When Derek stepped up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders, Ivana barely concealed a smirk. "Everybody," he said, "meet Jack Finnegan."

I smiled winningly, and the room was abuzz with excitement. "Can I stare into your eyes?" one woman asked. I was about to agree, until—

"Did I forget to mention he's mine tonight?" Derek replied.

The audience groaned playfully before going back to their tiny food and their conversations.

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"And here I thought you were mine," Ivana whispered in my ear, earning her a chuckle from Della and a kiss from me. With that, Della took her hand and insisted they catch up over by the window—far away from me and the dashing man still touching my shoulders.

"Come with me?" he asked.

"Promise?" I replied.

I clocked the beat I was hoping for, the one where he seemed pleasantly caught off guard. Derek matched my smile and gave my shoulders a squeeze, nudging me toward the same hallway Alexander had gone down. I glanced over my shoulder toward V. She seemed happy, at ease while she chatted with Della. When she caught me looking, she answered with a shooing gesture.

Down the hallway, we turned into the third room.

The door was barely closed for a second before I found myself pressed up against it, and before I knew it, we were kissing. Derek was a fair bit taller and wider than I was, but he was gentle, and it all happened so quickly. Something had to cut the tension though, and the spontaneous kiss went on for a while before we eventually pulled ourselves together. His eyes were dark, almost black in the lack of light. But they were warm and inviting. He hesitated before he spoke.

"I'm glad you're here," he said. "I'm relieved, I—when I saw you working that night at the Gander, and the way you were with Della… no, sorry—I'm really nervous."

"You are?" I asked. If the man was putting on a front, he ought to have been performing with the thespians in front of thousands in Delphia.

"Yeah, Della and I—look, I'm sure Alexander has told you, but we do this. It's usually just biology and the cycle driving us. It's fun, most of the time, and it's been our thing for—yeah, a long time. But, Jack, I think I might actually like you."

By then, I was thoroughly convinced I was being toyed with. He was Anima, right? Maybe he'd read my mind when I let my guard down. Maybe he knew I was investigating the Ambiance. But why would that matter? It wasn't as though I could have him arrested, and I certainly couldn't dust him. And I was friends with his friends—what was his angle?

When I didn't answer straightaway, the man practically deflated. "I'm sorry—that was way too forward. And needy. I swear, I'm normal."

"No, it's—," I chuckled, and at my urging, we made our way to the edge of the bed for a sit. "I felt it, too. When I saw you."

"Yeah?"

"Aye."

Derek released a breath it seemed he'd been holding a while. "Okay." I took his hand, and his shoulders relaxed. "It's been a long week. And that's a strong statement when most weeks feel like a minute."

"Aye, been a bit of a rough one here, too. A friend of mine died, and—"

"Johan?"

I nodded. "You knew him?"

"Yeah, Della liked him for her massages. And his family needed the money desperately, but he was too prideful to accept charity. We were trying to help him get ahead."

"So you weren't—?"

"Sleeping with Johan? No. I did give him the Ambiance, though."

"Why?"

"He needed a break. A few years ago now, his parents were killed by one of us—I mean, not me or Della, but one of the Anima. He's been looking after three younger siblings since, and I don't know, he just wanted to live in a world that wasn't his for a little while."

"No joke, but I can understand that."

Derek nodded. "Della and I are thinking of adopting the kids. We can't have our own, and it isn't as though we feel indebted, but—sorry, what's wrong with me? Why am I telling you this? And now of all times? I just want to kiss you again, but I can't stop talking."

"The talking's only doing you favours, believe me," I said. "But listen, if kids are what you want, you've got plenty of space, and money, and time."

Derek gestured vaguely. "True, the only problem is our lifestyle doesn't exactly complement raising children. We are what we are, and, well, you know."

"Derek, my personal philosophy is there's no good reason to settle for one thing when you can have both—so, surely there's a way to make it work. Have you thought about turning your lifestyle into a business?"

"What do you mean?"

I gave the fine man's hand a squeeze, and he followed my cue when I laid back against the big, fluffy bed. "I could put you in touch with someone who may be looking to partner up with someone that'd be willing to run their establishment in the heart of the city. You and Della could host your events there, and that frees up your house for the kids."

"You—wait, that's actually genius."

"It's kind of mediocre, but it could work."

"Della wouldn't want to be in competition with Tanis, though."

"No, what the Gander does is completely different. Tanis keeps it wholesome, as far as a place that hosts sex shows goes. I'm thinking what you lot would provide would be a step up on the kinky scale. But to make it work, I need you to promise me something."

We turned in toward in each other on the bed.

"Promise me that you'll keep the Ambiance away from the Gander, and that from now on, you'll keep a closer eye on your customers, and clean up your own messes."

"Tanis said you were a messenger before defecting, but that's not true, is it?"

"Nope."

"You're so fucking hot. Would you like to make out again?"

"Aye."

"Would you like me to call for our ladies first?"

Would I? WOULD I?

Aye, I would.