Wicked And Wilde: Immortal Vegas, Book 4 Read Online Free PDF Page A

welcome. I’m not eager to see it again.” I winced, reliving the electrical shocks from the creature. “The artifact the emperor was searching for has lain dormant for three thousand years. Why did it suddenly flip its switch?”
    Yori folded her hands in her lap. “The Dākumeiji.”
    The Japanese word meant nothing to me, and my blank stare was clearly a tip-off. “Dark mages,” she said quietly. “You call them the dark practitioners. They have been amplifying their efforts for the past several months. This was the first of the artifacts they have activated with their spells, but it will not be the last. The emperor’s dreams were triggered by those same spells, but the artifact was not made for modern hands. None of them are. Their power is too strong.”
    That caught my attention. “There are other artifacts out there tied to the, ah, kara’pei?”
    “No. But to other beings of its time, yes. The dark mages are fearful, to be summoning up the gods of old. Power mixed with fear is dangerous.” She leaned forward. “Your work in the war has been noticed. It will be more difficult for you now.”
    I set the gun on the seat beside me and shook my head. “I don’t fight wars, Yori. I find artifacts for people like your emperor.”
    Yori’s expression remained beatific, but her eyes didn’t lose their intensity. “The Connected community is small. Open to anyone capable of seeing. And you have been seen.”
    A chill ran up my spine. “What do you mean?” Of course I knew I wasn’t invisible to the community. It was kind of pointless to try to hide from a group of psychics. But I was small potatoes. I’d always been small potatoes. On the hierarchy of notable spuds, I ranked barely above a Tater Tot.
    Yori continued. “We know of your work finding artifacts for the highest bidder. It is lucrative and frequent. But you dress simply, and do not appear to benefit from the money you earn. And you never reject an assignment. Further, in your negotiations with the emperor, you extracted a promise to protect the children of Japan. That is new.”
    “Yeah, well. He’s the emperor. I figured I’d make the most of the opportunity.”
    Yori merely smiled, gathering herself as the vehicle came to a stop. “I leave you here. There are clothes in the bag, and a flight booked to Las Vegas leaving from Narita International Airport. Should you wish to take it.”
    “I definitely wish to take it.” I eyed the bag, unsurprised the geisha brigade knew my pants size. They probably knew my boots were held together with superglue.
    “May your travels be blessed.” She inclined her head to me once more. “Should you have a need, we will protect you.”
    I lifted my brows. “Yeah, no. Not necessary.”
    “You are Keikai,” she said. “We will protect you when we must.”
    I scowled, the word strange and foreign as it rattled around my mind, but Yori didn’t bother explaining it. I watched her slip out of the car and shut the door firmly behind her, and the car edged smoothly back into traffic.
    I turned to the bag, unzipping it—then froze.
    On top of the neatly folded hoodie was a white knife.
    I knew the white blades and who wielded them. For a moment I reconsidered going back to the Imperial Palace and trying my luck. Instead, I picked up the weapon, weighing it in my hand.
    Annika Soo, head of the Chinese branch of the arcane black market community, wasn’t my friend, by any stretch. She was definitely more my enemy. But when she talked, I tended to listen, especially when she spoke the language of really sharp knives. Despite my rapidly fading morphine haze and the fact that I was mostly covered in salve, I was pretty sure Soo had a job for me, and I was pretty sure she’d make it worth my while.
    The intercom pinged to life over my head. “There is a charter flight waiting in a private airstrip to carry you to Shanghai, Miss Wilde,” a woman said, her voice soft and respectful. “I can take you there or