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Prelude to the Beast	By : snakecharms Category: Anita Blake > General Views: 5019 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Anita Blake series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter 5

Into the Tiger's Den

I got out of the car. Looking a bit spooked I’m sure, but I did my best to keep my heart at a not-so-fast pace. If I had a list of things I hated being scared would be near the top.

I made sure that the Rover’s windows were rolled down partway, just in case Angus felt the need to stick his head out the window again. I of course wanted him to come with me more than anything. A lot of the time having him around was like having a well-muscled boyfriend. People tend to leave us alone. Which is how I like it. But with the chance that I might be meeting the Master of the City I didn’t want Angus to do anything that we’d both regret. Don’t get me wrong. Angus is a great dog, but he is and will always be a trolhund. A dog trained to track and kill. So I usually tend to keep a strong eye on him when we’re out in public. So far he hasn’t eaten anyone, just a growl here and there. He’s never been fond of shapefterfters.

Something suddenly caught my eye. I spun around to get a good look at the stairs. A tall woman, poured into a white evening gown stood right in front of the door. Strange thing was I didn’t even hear the door open. Had she clouded my mind? I stuck my hand in my bag. I had a cross somewhere. I had needed it last week when I blew a tire and had to walk three blocks to the nearest auto shop. That’s what I get for not paying my cell phone bill.

I searched for a few seconds and found no trace of my cross necklace. Great. I remembered the gun, but no cross. Firearms over faith. My mother would be rolling over in her grave.

If I was smart I would have got in the car and went back, but I was stupid…and needed all the money I could get to afford living in my apartment and going to college. So I was a little desperate. I made my way over to the steps, walking very slowly. The woman continued to look straight ahead, right over top me. I looked back to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. But there wasn’t anything back there but my land rover and Angus, and she even looked as if she was gazing past that.

“Alicia Johnston, the Master is waiting for you.” Her voice was perfect and polite. Must have been the one I heard in front of the gate. But her eyes were still looking over my head. It was starting to piss me off.

“You say ‘Master’, but what do you really mean by it?” I shifted my bag over to my other shoulder, waiting for her answer.

I watched as her head tilted to the side slightly, black ringlets spilled over her porcelain cheeks. She was perfect. A little too perfect. She stood a little over six feet with breasts the size of cantaloupes that sat perfectly on her chest, no sagging, and her body had curves that would make any coke bottle jealous. But I could see a little deeper than that. Her eyes, which were as blue as morning skies, were beautiful until you saw the dark lines under them, that seemed to sag with age. And her cheeks that looked as soft as angel wings were sunken in. Making her seem like a skeleton with breasts. But all that was an image on top of an image, the more I stared at her face, the more it began to peel away. Like a projector image that was fading. What I was seeing was her true face, but she was fighting to hide it. She might be old but I had seen stronger. When I got tired of staring at her face and waiting for an answer I gave a small fake cough.

“If you were smart Mrs. Johnston, you would realize that I am not allowed to say anything. “ She said again in the same tone as before. I was beginning to wonder if she was a robot in vampires’ clothing.

“Ms. not Mrs,” I corrected her, my eyebrows wrinkling into a frown. I wanted to know who or what I was going to see behind those doors. But Miss Coke bottle wasn’t going to be much help. “Fine then. Lets just go.”

She nodded and began to turn around to lead me in when she stopped. “The master never told me that you were so…”

“Stubborn…” I said, finishing the sentence for her. Everyone described me as stubborn. Something I acquired from my father.

“No…” She turned around and this time looked directly at me. I quickly redirected my eyes elsewhere. “Short.” As quickly as it was said she turned back around and began to open the metal doors.

I was left to stand there and watch, feeling a bit pissed again.

As soon I entered I was in a huge lobby type area. If this was only the lobby I couldn’t wait to see the rest of the place. Everything was styled beautifully. I felt like I had stepped into a portal that led me to ancient China or Japan. The walls were decorated with massive Japanese paintings of Samurai’s and their swords yet there were ancient Chinese dragon sculptures set here and there. So it was a mixture of tast.ast. Something that I rarely saw now days. There were couches and chairs set in a group, their fabric reminded me of kimonos. Vibrant colors, flowers, tree leaves, they were all etched in to the fabric with care. If I owned them I’d have them double wrapped in plastic, like my grandmother used to do, though I doubted hers were from ancient Japan, more like Salvation Army.

To the right of us was a life like statue of a samurai, its color said ivory. And ivory meant it was priceless. It seemed to call out for me to touch it, to stroke my hands across its smooth surface. I felt like a four year old in a china shop. I put my free hand in my pocket just in case the urges became too much.

“Wait here, Ms. Johnston.” The skeleton with breasts emphasized Ms a little too strongly to be polite. “And please be careful, these pieces are priceless.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not a kid. I’ll wait right here, but can we hurry this along. Its extremely late.”

She looked down at me and I had to quickly change the direction of my eyes again. I wish she’d quit doing that. “Only here a few seconds and asking something of the Master.” I was waiting for her to start waving her finger at me and say, ‘shame shame shame,’ but it never came.

“Well maybe if I had a chance to see this ‘master’ I’d be more polite.” I said. “But from the looks of it all I see is you.”

“What are you saying, ms. Johnston?” I felt her gaze lift away fry fay face.

I took my hand out of my pocket before speaking again, “I’m saying you aren’t strong enough to be a master.” I needed my gun hand just in case.

I heard her puff out some air, wanting to put me in my place but my words were true and she knew it. So how could she argue?

“I will be right back…” With that she walked, more like glided, across the floor to a polished, wooden door. I was hoping she was off to get the master so I could get this over with and get to bed. But before that I had to go see Beth, shit.

I turned around from where I stood, getting a better view of the room. There were a set of double doors straight across from the doors I had entered. The doors were polished wood, just like the walls. If I had to bet the room beyond those doors was right underneath the dome ceiling. I bet it was beautiful. But I doubted I’d get to see it. The grizzly was probably kept some place like the basement. Locked away in a steel cage. The poor animal.

Out of the blue the double doors I had been admiring so hard opened. The vampire was smiling now. Something good must have happened during the thirty seconds she was gone.

“My name is Lyonnesse. A vampire as you had guessed.” She smiled but was careful not to make it too wide. It hid those teeth of hers quite well.

“Master give you permisson to tell me all this?” It came out as a question but in all reality it was a mater-of-fact statement.

She stepped back and ushered me in with her arm in a gracious movement. The gown flowed with her arm as if it was her skin.
“The master told me to show you out here…Please come.” Guess she had enough of the small talk.

I nodded, “Fine, but I’d rather follow.”
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Prelude to the Beast