Club Nexus (Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective) by E.J. Stevens Read Free Book Online Page A

index finger
and he touched it to the lock.  This time when he tried the key, the door
opened.  The door was at the wrong angle for me to see inside, but I figured
that meant whoever was behind the door couldn’t see me either.
    I leapt at the door as it swung shut, grasping the door knob
just before the lock could click.  I let out a shaky breath, wondering what I
should do next.  Ivy would be here soon, hopefully with Torn in tow, and I
should probably wait.  But the thought of Forneus taking advantage of some
poor, drugged girl clouded my vision.
    I slipped through the doorway, pulled a stake from my bag,
and used it to keep the door wedged open.  Ivy would recognize the weapon, and
would know I was inside.  At least, that was the plan.  She could just think it
was a chunk of wood.
    I shook my head and pressed my lips together.  No, Ivy was
good at finding people—it’s what she does.  She’d be able to read the clues and
figure out where I’d gone.  I turned away from the sliver of light coming from
the bar and blinked into the darkness.  I slung my crossbow from my shoulder,
pushed off the safety, and stepped quietly into the room.
    I stubbed my toe on a metal rack and banged my shin on a
wooden crate, but I stifled the urge to cry out.  I was used to bumps and
bruises, but I hoped like hell that none of the cuts had drawn blood.  I knew
of at least one vamp who had come through this way, and there could be more
below.  Heck, there could be a whole nest of bloodsuckers down there.
    I wiped clammy hands down the front of my dress and picked
my way through the darkness.  I focused on getting to the stairway that I’d
glimpsed when I’d first opened the door.  Too bad reaching the stairs wasn’t
much improvement.  In fact, it was pretty freaking terrifying.
    I stared down from the landing, but it was black as bat
wings down there and sounds echoed up the stairway like it was a pipeline to
Hell.  Moans, cries, whimpers, and manic laughter mingled into a nightmarish
choir that set my heart pounding in my chest.
    What the heck was I doing here?  I’d gotten myself into a
lot of messes, but this one might just take the cake, the icing, and the whole
damn serving plate.
    I hesitated, one foot hovering over empty air as I
considered retreating back to the storeroom.  Waiting for Ivy would be the
smart thing, which was probably why Fate propelled me down the stairs at the
sound of Forneus speaking to someone below.
    My nickname?  Yeah, it was more than just a catchy moniker. 
Me and Lady Luck have never been close.  In fact, we were fast becoming
frenemies, which was the likely cause of my attraction to the demon speaking
below.
    I recognized Forneus’ voice, but I was too far away to make
out the words.  If I could just get a little closer…   I teetered on one
platform sandal and sighed.  If I was going to go tiptoeing through the dark, I
probably shouldn’t be wearing these shoes.
    I slipped out of my platform sandals and grimaced as
something crunched beneath my feet.  But stepping on spiders and cockroaches
was the least of my worries.  I needed to find out what Forneus and Puck were
up to, preferably without twisting my ankle or taking a tumble into the
basement below.
    With my bad luck, I’d break my ankle and my neck.
    I grabbed the old, splintered railing and began my slow
descent down the stairs.  Goosebumps dotted my skin and I shivered as a heavy
quiet seemed to swallow the basement.  The cries and whimpers had stopped.  That
should have been an improvement, but the dead air was even worse than the
sounds of torment.
    Forneus’ voice broke the silence, followed by Puck’s
laughter.  I shuddered at the ghoulish images that conjured up.  Were they
hurting innocent people down here?  I didn’t want to believe it, but Ivy had
seen Puck try to dose my drink and though Forneus was smoking hot, he was still
a freaking demon.  And demons were evil, right?
    I paused as I ran