Master Juggler (Untraceable Succubus Book 3) Page 13

  Which meant I also needed my iPod and travel speakers which someone had thrown in the bag. Kiera must have packed it.

  Fine, I wouldn’t stay mad at her.

  I shrugged when Aidan gave me a curious look. “You guys are going to fill in Elijah and discuss everything to death. There are too many adults for me to be boss like normal. I need to clear my head before I decide what I want to do next.”

  His lips twitched, and he burst out laughing as I strutted from the room. “Meaning you probably won’t listen to what we decide anyways.”

  “You’re learning,” I called over my shoulder. I gave a wave to everyone gathered in the living area and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before heading out to the back patio to work. Elijah was not happy, and I could feel it from there. Yeah, well, he should know me well enough by now that even if I could play with the team, it wasn’t always wise for me to plot with the team.

  It was like everyone else’s desires could overwhelm me or something.

  I flipped to the two songs from Little Mix’s new album I had bought after hearing them. First was “Woman Like Me,” which had the right beat and vibe for sure. The second was “Strip,” which seemed the obvious choice for a stripper, but it was the message I liked better. All women were different, and like a few men in my life believed, we should be treasured, never tamed or graded on one scale others set.

  I would have to look at the videos and see if there was anything cute from them I liked to incorporate, but I liked to get a feel of the songs freestyle first. The first was a lot of sharp moves that turned into seductive ones, and I loved that sort of change, bouncing back between tones as it gave me a lot to work with.

  I worked for a while and had just flipped into a yoga pose when I felt Elijah’s energy trickle all over me. I almost fell, but he reached out and snagged my arm to keep me safe.

  “This reminds me that corporate would like to buy the rights to use your choreography for ‘Sound of the Police’ and ‘Human,’” he informed me when I steadied myself. He went over to the iPod and turned it off. “You performed both in Berlin when you helped Kiera out, and people raved over it. We have dancers dying to get a chance at it.”

  “Elijah, you guys use it and I can’t undercover as it could tie us together,” I reminded him.

  “You’re working on new material,” he pointed out. “You’re a talented choreographer, Jasmine. Your dances and pole work are always the best and received well. It helps the dancers.”

  “How does buying choreography work?” Aidan asked, glancing between us.

  “I offer the dance moves, and dancers have to audition for me to choose them,” I explained. “I add that part to know they’ll do it proud if I give up the option of being able to do it for my own dancing. We only allow one dancer at each club, so there’s never overlap even if they can use it over and over again. The dancer has to pay five bucks or something each time they do it like royalties.”

  Elijah snorted. “You mean they donate it to charity. Yes, we’ve long since figured out that the account goes to a shelter.”

  I shrugged. “I never hid that. I’ve said I give the money even from corporate to that place as they helped me when I needed it and was on the run.”

  “What were you running from?” David asked.

  “Being a demon,” I muttered. It was the truth, but it was more complicated than that. “Have you guys given the other dancers a chance? We have some really talented ones, Elijah. It doesn’t need to keep being me that comes up with choreography.”

  “Yes, and they always have the option to do their own dances, but while talented dancers, few have the training you do,” he reminded me.

  “Fine, but anyone who wants to pick up this one has to allow other dancers at the club to take a different one they rent from me if I accept,” I muttered. “This is a hard one that someone has to be top rate to pull off. If they’re at that level, they can give up a different one.”

  “Agreed, but we might want two options for that.”

  I sighed, nodding. “I’ll go through options and go over what I’m willing to give up with Natalia and Kiera.”

  “Good. You might want to think about doing more choreography for the Cyr wheel too.” He shrugged when I sighed. “Yes, yes, a lot of the places you go under wouldn’t ever allow you to perform that way. It still makes money, child.”

  “I’m a rich woman,” I grumbled, knowing he meant for everyone.

  “What shelter do you donate to?” Mason asked. I named one of the oldest ones in LA, and his eyes flashed shock. “I’ve had to hide there a few days too. They helped me a lot.”

  I nodded. “They help a lot of everyone, especially supes running.” I smiled at him. “So I guess I should donate more to them if the good karma from that maybe brought you into my life, huh?”

  “Yes, and he’s helping your team when you needed the trusted help desperately, so remember it all comes full circle,” Elijah cut back in. “We do need to discuss a few things about his past though and getting him better coverage and IDs. Unlike your other suitors, you won’t be going public with him or the twins.” Humor danced in his eyes. “Bain will help your Cara cover.”

  “Will he?” I growled, getting where he was going.

  “We’ll find a good one for Aidan and that way none of them have to get the flack of sharing one woman while helping Mr. Deputy Director.” He held up his hand to hold off what was probably going to be an array of cuss words. “The big boss likes the plan. If you’re seriously considering allowing real relationships in your life because you can feed from the angels, this is the smartest play.”

  Steam about came out of my ears, as there was no way the big boss said that. “Oh she did, did she?”

  He smirked at me. “She did.”

  “I’ll just have to speak with her because obviously there’s been some disconnect and we’ll need to get back on the same page.”

  “Yes, well, I’m sure she’ll schedule time for that, but first, we have more pressing matters.”

  “Pushing it, Elijah,” I warned, my temper flaring until I felt my hands heating up to burn something. “This is why I get annoyed people pull you in. Help is helpful, not always orders and taking over.”

  He got a lot of passes with me, all of them even, but I felt better when he flinched. We could all go over the lines, but if there’s real love and friendship, smacking them back over the line was also acceptable.

  10

  “Who is the big boss of Heavenly Entertainment?” Mason asked, glancing between us, and I was glad I was pissed because that would be all he got off of me and no one could get anything from Elijah as he was so old and a locked down vault. “I couldn’t find a damn thing though I’ve just really started looking.”

  “You won’t find anything,” I told him. “Even if you find the name, it won’t mean anything to you.” I gestured to Elijah as I took a slow breath to chill out. “He’s been a lawyer as long as there have been like lawyers and knows how to bury everything he needs to. Believe me.” I glanced at Mason. “I won’t be the one to betray that, and I won’t forgive poking to get answers.”

  He held up his hands in surrender. “I don’t care that much to know, my goddess. I can’t help what I see, but I rarely go looking for anything except for work.”

  “But he is not the only one who’s started looking,” Elijah warned me, nodding towards Aidan and Dylan. I felt a punch to the stomach when they both winced. “Not them but the vampire council and ISLE. We knew they would look.”

  “The council is a bit miffed something so organized was formed under their noses, but most of us are a bit miffed others were ever blocking it. There are all kinds of councils and supe governments other species can turn to. It was bullshit that the demons didn’t have one, but the argument over and over again was that ISLE would protect everyone who didn’t have anyone to turn to.”

  “Yes, but they didn’t,” Elijah chuckled darkly. “And I’ve heard that bullshi
t answer for long before ISLE as well, as someone would always help us but never did. They didn’t want new, as that’s unstable. That’s another answer too many give. It’s all bullshit, but now the secret’s out and everyone’s trying to figure out all our secrets, how long our reach really is, and the pull we truly have.”

  “Fuck, fuck,” I rasped, hating this was all done because of me.

  Elijah bopped me on the head and then grabbed my chin roughly. “This was not because of you. This was a battle long coming. You might have been the reason we lit the first torch in alarm and rallied the troops, but it was always going to come, child.” He kissed my forehead when I sighed. “Good because we might need you as our MVP to do what you do best.”

  “Spy? Get angry? Run?” I asked, genuinely confused what they would need me for.

  He snorted. “Make friends. Shine.” He chuckled when Dylan sighed heavily, so I really wasn’t sure what was going on. But then Dylan gave me a guilty look, and the pieces started falling into place.

  “They want my programs.” I waited until they both nodded. “No. No and no. No way. Do you know how much more damage they could do with those? They could really just spy on whoever and whenever. That’s—no, Elijah. I’d rather burn their headquarters to the ground than give them that power. They didn’t have it and did so much damage. I won’t give them the atom bomb to use.”

  “Are they really that dangerous?” Elijah asked.

  “Yes,” Mason and I firmly answered together.

  “There might be a way around that,” Aidan muttered.

  I studied him, thinking of the situation. “What, like they had to get a few council members to sign off on when they use it? Not full council oversight and approval but like a warrant from council members they’d have to defend later?”

  “That’s better than what I was even thinking,” he nodded. “I was wondering if you could put a log of when it’s used that councils get reports from and could question any time they’re used like senate intelligence oversight.”

  I scrunched up my nose and then glanced at Mason who seemed to be considering it as well. “In theory, but I would have to be allowed access to their systems to make sure they didn’t ever slip in a workaround. Once I gave up access, I would give up access and checking it.”

  Elijah reached out and cupped my cheek, studying my eyes and I knew reading me more than I liked. He slowly nodded. “Alright, we’ll discuss this more and I’ll need to understand better, but it’s possibly a good option to bring the different parties together with something we control.”

  “Or they’ll try to steal once we tell them I have it, made it,” I reminded him.

  “Yes, but if there are powerful suitors of different species at your side, they would be stupid then,” he argued.

  “You…” I swallowed what I wanted to say.

  “Yes?” he pushed, his power trickling over me. “What did you want to say to me, child?”

  “Don’t bully her,” Mason warned.

  “This isn’t his bullying,” I promised as he gave Mason a look like he might squash him. “He’s reminding me we’re on the same side. The power isn’t his fault. He’s just that powerful, believe me. When he lets it out you will know it. The fact he listens to a demon as young as I am is a testament to how he doesn’t ever bully, as ancients don’t bother with fledglings or children.”

  “And why do I listen to you?” Elijah asked.

  “Because you love me,” I muttered, feeling like a twit saying it.

  “And why do I love you, child?”

  “Because you saved me and I turned around and saved others.”

  “I respected you for that. Why do I love you?” he asked, his gaze softening when I didn’t know how to answer. He kissed my forehead again. “Because you’re worth loving and easy to love if you let people. We’ll figure out a way to do this right so we can save others and protect our own.”

  “Even from the fraction I saw of what she could do, the council will make it crystal clear to not fuck over demons and risk losing access to that,” Aidan explained. “And just so you’re completely informed, a few council members pushed me to get closer to the demon who let me in on all of this. They think it’s Natalia though, as she is my normal type.”

  I snickered. “You’re not hers.”

  His eyes flashed shock after a moment. “She bats for the other team. Oh, that is fun, as I know a few council members who thought maybe they should become friends with her if it turned out well for me.” He gave me a sad smile. “My stock’s risen for my involvement in helping clean up. I couldn’t have foreseen that.”

  That was fair, and I nodded. I focused on Elijah. “You’re my favorite too. Just stop being so damn pushy, okay? And I might have a few conditions as to sharing.” I pulled away when he opened his mouth. “Corporate doesn’t control my programs. We did it that way for a reason so it could never lead back to corporate. That also means they’re mine. I built the keys to unlock information. I get a vote who uses them.”

  He nodded after a moment, probably sensing how afraid this whole thing made me. “I understand, and of course that’s a consideration. The way it was framed to me was you were shocked they couldn’t already do it and others can do this, so of course ISLE should get caught up.”

  I opened my mouth but then closed it, shaking my head. “I don’t think most law enforcement agencies have it. Maybe a few spy ones, but ISLE always brags they have the best and brightest and everything light years ahead of others that I assumed they could do it too. But if they didn’t, being the one to give them the access is scary, and I’m not sure I want to. I want to at least meet this new head guy.”

  “He wants to meet you as well,” Dylan muttered, looking like he wasn’t for that plan.

  “I thought you voted for him?” I muttered.

  “I did. He is absolutely the best person for the job and will right the ship. But he is a rule follower and a hardass on gray areas, and you live in all the gray areas, sweetie.” He let out a deep breath. “Plus, I’m learning just how bad your temper is.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I keep my temper in check all the fucking time or I would melt clubs around me regularly. For the record, I never have. There are buttons on all of us that if you push we blow. Selling your own is the button to press that makes me go nuclear. The rest was personal because it was you and you’d just been shot for me. If it wasn’t that, I would have smacked her like Kyle.”

  Elijah nodded when I gave him a look, answering my unasked question. “Yes, Tahnee is targeting you as Cara. According to the traitor, they were also planning to use you to lure in lust demons, as you’re tapped in as Cara and those in the know, know a lot of them are demons. For the record, you met the traitor before as Cara and apparently you seriously pissed her off then too.”

  I snorted. “I piss people off all the time. She didn’t register to a level to even note. She clearly has a chip on her shoulder, and I enjoy knocking people like that down a peg the way most enjoy playing boardgames. Let who you are speak for you, not your bluster. People bragging they’re king or queen of this and that is just that—bragging. The true greats never had to shout it since everyone else was already.”

  Elijah nodded in agreement but didn’t linger on it. “I grilled the warlock on how he could find you, and it’s as simple as thinking of you and following the pull to you. We know they’re in LA, but they’re not at any of the coven buildings. They weren’t at that party.”

  I cursed under my breath. “Right, the traitor was working with them—”

  “You can say her name,” Dylan muttered. “I’m okay. I stopped loving her a long time ago.”

  I glanced at him and gave him the best smile I could. “I’m glad, but it’s not for you. It’s how demons are with traitors. We won’t speak her name again unless we have to for identifying her to others.” I cleared my throat and glanced between him and Elijah. “You do know how this ends, right?”

  “I figured her life is
forfeit.”

  “You didn’t tell him how,” I sighed. “Fine, he doesn’t need to know, but I can’t be party to it.”

  “It’s our way, Jasmine,” Elijah reminded me.

  “No, I won’t get involved for a woman he loved. Natalia or Kiera can step in for me.” I shot him a nasty look when he looked like he might object. “I’m under enough shit and I’m saying this is too much for me right now. Can you please hear me?”

  “Yes, child,” he agreed, giving me his normal look like he didn’t know what to do with me. “I think you need to call this Tahnee while in LA and we see how to proceed. If Mason stays locked onto you, we can at least know where the vibe changes so if they—”

  “You think they might be using portals,” Aidan figured out first, cursing when we nodded. “It makes sense. Most would have felt a bunch of lust demons there, as I wasn’t the only new guest.”

  “Wow, brazen,” I whispered, shaking my head. “It worries me how connected they are that they seriously thought this would just all fly.” I gave Aidan a worried look. “Could someone on the council be part of this?”

  “I don’t know, and I don’t know how to try and find answers without possibly stirring the hornets’ nest.”

  “Might be a good trial to see how the new ISLE director really will work with us?” I muttered, giving Elijah a look I wanted to handle it.

  “Sure, go interrogate him,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “For the record, they have been all over the shot taken at Dylan and asking about harassment at the club.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah because now that can be their in to get better access to us since they know it’s all our thing.”

  He sighed. “Your cynicism is thicker than most your age because of your work.”

  “That doesn’t mean I’m wrong,” I pushed. “Sort of like Agent Snake Boy who used his powers on me and acted like no one would bat an eyelash to abuse me. To even consider all the dirt has been cut out of ISLE with one pass, no matter how deep the dive, is insane.”

  “We agree on that which is why keeping contact and being able to work them just as much as they’ll want to work us is smart,” he said firmly, nodding to Dylan. He bopped me again, smirking when I winced and rubbed my head. “I know that’s not why you want him, and you’ll try to run probably just for that, but I have and always will protect you.”