Meeting Poet

I left the Night Life building wearing a grey hoodie and ripped jeans. Alex rolled his eyes as if it had mattered. My hair matched my shirt underneath in a dark red, and my nails were black as per the usual. I was only slightly nervous meeting the man who had asked Alex to spy on me. But I was also eternally grateful to the conniving son of a bitch for putting Alex back in my life.

We met at the coffee shop that I met Liam at, and where I had my birthday chocolate cake. The pushed thought into my head made me remember the last time we’d been here with Alex watching me eat chocolate cake. There wouldn’t be any of that this time, though Alex was pouting at the lack of the prospect.

Before we entered I kissed Alex hard sucking his bottom lip into my mouth to make his pout disappear, which had the intended effect of putting a smile on my love’s face.

A blond man dressed in a dapper blue suit sat in one of the booths and if felt Alex pull his shields up tight around him, and out of my head. He was protecting his thoughts, and not mine. Which meant he had something to prove here.

I sat down first across from the man mostly because I knew Alex wanted to protect me even though he’d left my head. I knew he was reading what I sent, how could he not. He just wasn’t able to send. And I was alright with that.

“I suppose you were right Alex.” The man said, “He’s loud.”

“You knew that though.” I said.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“I’ve been playing chess with you in a different likeness most of my life. One thing you can’t hide from me is your energy signature and pattern.”

“So why do I let you win?”

I laughed, “You never let me win. I let you win when my streak is going on too long though. I don’t figure myself a chess player, and you do cheat on occasion, but I can’t prove it since it’s one move at a time and I don’t have a photographic memory.”

Alex interrupted our little talk, “Nox this is Poet Rhemus. Poet, this is Nox. You two should play nice.”

“Poet Rhemus.” I said the name slowly. “Or should it be Prometheus.”

The man’s jaw dropped, but before he could say anything I answered the question I knew was on both their minds, “Poet Rhemus is an anagram of Prometheus. And we were just talking about the Ascendant that was unaccounted for. The name was stuck in my head.”

“How?” He asked still in shock that I knew his real name.

“Did no one ever tell you what my Venatori ability was?” I looked to Alex and he shrugged. “I take it Alex didn’t really understand that it’s not just patterns I see. It’s a gift I have, putting together pieces. Math, Chemistry all came easily. Where things like English and Biology were difficult.”

“So Mr. Sétanta, what can I help you with?”

“Three things. One. I want to know who among my people is your spy. Two, I know you told the Venatori where we were going to be, and Three, I want to know where the missing people are.”

Poet laughed. It was a happy, or jovial laugh, more like he was caught between a brick and a hard place and he had no where else to go.

“You do realize I can hear your thoughts?”

I nodded, “Yes. Doesn’t matter what vampiric powers you possess, none of them frighten me.”

The man in front of me glared and he expected me to flinch as he pushed out the power to control me. It went around like I wasn’t there. I grinned at him and pulled the sleeve of my hoodie up right arm and tapped the metal infinity symbol there, “Engraved is a rune that keeps people out of my head – from controlling me like the Dragon did.”

And is the memories were called upon I remembered seeing him standing with the Dragon before I was taken control of. Him and Matthias. I’d been played since the start.

The power came at me stronger and harder and he tried to push it past my shields but the magic wrapped around me never touching me. I drew a rune in the air with fire and I sent the burning symbol at Poet, it seared into his perfectly tailored and fitted blue suit and into his flesh. The magic stopped rushing at me and the glare grew into a panicked look and when the realization dawned on him, the glare returned, “What the fuck did you do?”

“I contained your magic inside of you with a brand.” I smiled. “Don’t worry, you’ll heal it soon enough. But maybe it’ll teach you to keep your magic to yourself. Now tell me Poet where are the missing people?”

He growled. “I don’t fucking know what you are talking about. I don’t make a habit of kidnapping supernaturals.”

“I never said they were supernatural.”

Alex was covering his mouth trying to contain his amusement. I couldn’t help but smirk at his reaction. “Tell me Poet.”

“There are rumors of someone taking people into the sewers. I don’t know anything more.”

I nodded. I believed him. “Who’s your man inside my walls?”

“I have no man inside your walls?”

“Who told you where we were going to be? I know it’s not Alex.”

He laughed, “You are so certain your boyfriend isn’t spying on you.”

“I am. He was and he’s not anymore. He ran from you, he ran from me. If I hadn’t chased him he’d still be long gone and we’d not be here. So thank you for that by the way, but who is doing your dirty work now?”

“You honestly believe that he’s not working for me anymore?”

“I told you, I know he’s not. Alex is mine and I am his and nothing will come between us again.” I wasn’t going to tell this man why, but I believed in my heart it was the truth – forever and always.

Alex smirked across the table at Poet and wrapped his hand around mine on top of the table. Solidarity. “Just tell him, Poet, he’ll pull the information from you anyway.”

Poet shook his head, “I have no man behind your walls.”

“A hacker then. We’ll be scouring our network. Get what you want now, before you are dealing with my hackers.”

“Reaper isn’t as good as The Wicked Truth, Trix and Chevalier put together.” Alex said. “He’s not even half as good as the Wicked Truth.”

The remainder of the blood drained from Poet’s face and I pushed gently on Alex and he slide out of the booth and I followed him. “Be careful with who you spy on me next with. I might not be so easy going next time.” I said before I left with Alex leading the way.