I came up spluttering, gasping for air. Ryu was with me in a flash, holding me up till I could breathe.
“…so sorry,” he murmured. “I should have warned you.”
I hacked and wheezed for another thirty seconds, and then everything went wonky as the world spun. Between my momentary lack of oxygen and the fact that the water’s unnatural power was literally flooding my brain, I felt faint. No wonder I hadn’t been drawn to the pool like I was to the ocean—this force was totally unnatural and insanely strong. Ryu carried me to the side of the pool and sat me down on the edge. Standing between my legs, he held me upright until the dizziness passed.
When I could finally open my eyes without seeing four of him, I leaned into Ryu. “Wow,” I mumbled, still feeling the power arching up from my legs where my calves dangled in the water. “That is some good shit.”
Ryu laughed, holding me tight. “Glad you’re enjoying it,” he murmured into my ear.
“Now I know why people do crack,” I said, pulling back to look at him, wide-eyed. The pool was making me feel more than a little tipsy. “I always thought, ‘Who does crack?’ I mean, seriously, who wakes up and is like, ‘Hmm, I think today I’ll try me some crack.’ I get why people do other drugs. But crack? Who does crack?” I looked at him, not blinking. “This pool explains why people do crack. This pool is crack.” I finally blinked, hard, feeling like the top of my head was being lifted off and my brain replaced with ambrosia salad.
Ryu looked distinctly worried. “Okay, Jane, I think you’ve had enough.” I giggled at him. Ryu was funny.
I admired him as he jumped out of the pool to my side. “You’re still wearing your clothes!” I informed him, in case he hadn’t noticed. He’d taken off his jacket and shoes, but he was still wearing his trousers, shirt, and socks. His thin black shirt clung to his muscular chest. I craned my neck back to get a better look as he put his hands under my armpits to haul me upright and out of the water. Then he turned me around to hug me tight, as my feet dangled at his shins.
“You’re hot, Ryu,” I murmured, as I stared into his lovely face. “Seriously hot. And so I am going to tell you a secret.”
“A secret, huh?”
“Mm-hmm. I’m not really me right now, but don’t tell anyone. Shhhh! It’s just between the two of us…” I trailed off as I realized I was no longer in that amazing pool.
“I know, baby. It’s the water. You’ll feel better soon.”
That wasn’t what I had meant, so I told him so. “No, silly, I’m really not me. I’m the other Jane,” I whispered, conspiratorially. “But she’s way more fun than the real Jane, so we’re going to roll with it.”
Ryu looked concerned for a second, but I’d moved on.
“Ryu, why aren’t we swimming? Can’t I swim a little more?” I cajoled. “I like swimming.” Ryu set me gently on my feet, but the second he let go, I pinwheeled backward, nearly falling into the pool.
“Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” I cried, as he lunged forward to grab me.
“You’re strong, too,” I said, relaxing back into his arms. “I like strong.”
“Yes, dear.” He grinned, pulling me forward so that I was on my own two feet, but he was careful still to support me. “I’m sure you do.”
“I really do!” I declared, petulantly. “And I like swimming. Why aren’t we swimming?”
“I think you’ve had about enough swimming, for tonight,” he said, gently.
I thought hard. “We can have sex in the pool,” I wheedled. “Lots of sex!”
Ryu laughed. “I know we can, darling.” He kissed my forehead. “But for right now,” he said, picking me up to carry me toward the Compound, “we’re going upstairs to sleep.”
“Oh, poo,” I said. “You’re no fun. I bet the genie would take me swimming.”
“Now, you’re just being naughty,” Ryu said, sticking his tongue out at me. I tried to grab it.
He laughed and gathered me even closer. I wound my arms around his neck and pressed my cheek to his. “I like you, vampire man,” I whispered in his ear.
“I like you too, Jane True,” Ryu said, his voice husky.
I’d just gone in to give his edible little ear a nibble when a sharp voice cut through our intimacy like a scythe.
“Aww, how sweet. My cousin has himself a little pet.”
Ryu tensed, his grip around me tightening almost painfully.
“Ryu,” the nasal voice continued. “Put down your halfling and say hello.”
I winched my head around, trying to find the speaker. Her voice was mean and I didn’t like being called a pet. I’ll give you a pet, my ambrosia salad threatened.
“Nyx.” Ryu’s voice was low. “As always, a pleasure.”
I giggled. He was being sarcastic.
“What did you do to the girl?” Nyx asked. I had finally found her and was trying to get a good look. But she was upside down. No, I was upside down. No, I was looking at her from upside down. My head hurt.
“I didn’t know you were so hard up that you had to drug them, these days.”
“You’re hilarious, cousin. Jane is just fine.”
“Yes,” I clarified. “I’m fine.” Then I lowered my voice to hiss, “Put me down” at Ryu.
“Are you sure?” he murmured. I nodded.
He set me gently on my feet, keeping a protective arm around my waist. I looked down.
Oh shit! “I’m naked,” I whispered to him.
He nodded, the slightest smile breaking through his grim expression. But his eyes were still cold.
“It’s so small,” the voice said, disparagingly. “Like a little doll. I know you’re barely past adolescence but I did think you were done playing with dolls, Ryu.”
I bristled, assessing the creature spouting off in front of me. She was tall—taller than Ryu by a few inches—and she had the rangy, muscular build of an aerobics instructor or modern dancer. Her features were small and sharp and her lips were thin, made thinner by being compressed into a tight little grimace that I think passed for a smile in her world. Her light brown hair was short-cropped like Ryu’s, but that was their only family resemblance. She was wearing a tight black minidress with black knee-high fuck-me boots. I guess she was good-looking, in a Gap model sort of way, but her attitude spoiled it.
“She’s a total bitch,” I observed. Did I just say that out loud? my ambrosia salad speculated.
Ryu snorted, and the bitch looked at me sharply.
“What did you say, halfling?”
I thought for a moment. “I just called you a bitch,” I eventually clarified.
She sputtered, staring.
“Because you really are,” I advised. “You might want to work on that.”
Nyx was stalking toward us, and I realized she wasn’t happy.
“I was just trying to be helpful,” I told Ryu, defensively. “Nobody likes bitches.”
He put a hand firmly over my mouth and pushed me behind him. I shrugged and looked around for my dress.
“Nyx,” he warned, “calm down and back off. We’ve got things to discuss.”
“Like how much I’m going to enjoy ripping off that little shit’s head?”
I straightened up, but before I could open my mouth Ryu’s hand was clamped back over my lips. I bit him. He winced, but he left his hand where it was.
“No one is ripping off any heads,” Ryu said, dryly. “Leave Jane be; she’s not herself.” He paused. “And she’s right, anyway. You are a bitch and you know it.”
Nyx’s thin lips stretched as she deigned to laugh. “What you call ‘bitch,’ I call ‘natural leader with a flair for intrigue.’ Maybe someday you’ll understand that, investigator.”
Ryu had let me go and I’d spotted my dress. I tottered over to it, and wrapped it around me. The sash gave me some trouble, but I managed to beat it into submission and knot it securely.
I picked up my shoes, underpants, and bra and waited where I was for Ryu to finish questioning Nyx. I think I was starting to sober up. Either that or I was just too stoned to move.
“Yes, well,” Ryu persevered through his obvious irritation. “That reminds me of why I’m so happy to see you. I wanted to ask you about something.” His voice was level, but his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“Peter Jakes,” he said, finally, with the air of someone dropping a bomb.
We both waited.
The bomb fizzled, unexploded.
Nyx just smiled. “Oh, you mean the halfling. He served me.” Ryu looked startled—he’d obviously been expecting some kind of subterfuge from Nyx. “What do you want to know about him?” she queried, innocently.
Ryu recovered swiftly. “Did you know he is dead?”
“Oh, yes, I’d heard through the grapevine. It’s too bad, he had his uses. He was practically human and absolutely terrified of me, so he’d do in a pinch for a feeding.” Nyx looked over at me. “You know how it’s handy to always carry a packed lunch,” she said, eyeing me venomously.
