Blood Magic

by Melody Raven

  God, I hated being told what to do. But it wasn’t just me I was supposed to look after. So I plastered on a super sweet smile. “Your wish is my command.”

  “My command is your command,” he clarified.

  I simply raised my brow as I took another sip of coffee.

  9

  “I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this,” I said as I got out of Nico’s black Jag. I had no idea how he kept a car so sleek and clean in this city. It didn’t have a single ding on it. Like, where did he even park to not get hit by a wayward car door at all?

  “I can’t believe you two are excited about this.” Gabbie stepped out of the backseat.

  “We’re excited because we get to relax. You’re going to be getting hit on the second you set foot in that place.”

  Gabbie was not flattered by that observation. “You know that’s not what happens when I go out, right?”

  “When you go out to bars filled with normals. We’re talking supernatural creatures with supernatural confidence and supernatural libido. Just look at Nico here.” I pointed to the sexy beast to my right.

  “Baby, you don’t stand a chance,” he said with a wink, fully backing me up.

  There was no signage to signify any sort of bar or club. I wondered what sources Carter had. When had he even had time to hit up his sources?

  Gabbie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. “You’re young and single too. Why am I the only one being singled out here?”

  “Sonia here will probably get her share of attention,” said Nico. “We’re just not worried about her being able to handle herself.”

  “You all realize I’m an adult? I’ve been on my own for long enough.”

  “Never in a place like this,” said Nico. “The club is called Delirium. I wasn’t able to pull any accounts or anything, but I was able to get some of the zoning paperwork and blueprints. The place looks like a basic club, with a bar and tables and shit, but there’s a whole mess of back rooms and tunnels that connect as well. So just because the sun is out up here doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be any Vopura inside.”

  “Just assume that everyone and everything you see in there is venomous and poisonous to the touch. Chances are there aren’t going to be any humans, and as powerful as a psychic can be, you’re especially defenseless.”

  “Since you can’t use any of your powers, doesn’t that make you worse off than me?” asked Gabbie.

  I hated the fact that she just called me on that. And I hated it even more that she was right. But I wouldn’t really consider myself worse off than her. At least I could identify what species I was dealing with. “Maybe we can just all be careful,” I said as I led the way in.

  The nondescript building looked more like an apartment complex. If they asked for some sort of secret code or something, I had no idea how we were supposed to bullshit our way in.

  But I couldn’t think like a cop going to a seedy bar. I was the same witch I was a few weeks ago. I practically lived in places like this, making backroom deals and planning my next big score. So far, none of my old crew knew how drastically my situation had changed. Which meant, for the time being, I was safe here.

  Once my new status as an agent for DMD was found out, my old friends would abruptly turn to new enemies. Which would all be problems for a later me. Right now, all I needed to focus on was getting into this stupid club.

  Inside the front door, there was an entryway like any apartment, with a whole list of names and buttons to ring up to an apartment. “Is Delirium the basement of the complex?” I looked over the names. Nothing obvious, like a Ted Delirium or anything.

  “This is zoned for industrial.” Nico pulled at the door. But the lock held firm.

  So if the apartments were all a front, then there had to be something we were missing. Some sort of hidden access point. I glanced around, looking for anything that stood out.

  “What are we looking for?” Gabbie stepped back to let Nico and me both scour the entire vestibule for some hidden button or switch.

  “Anything that will get us in,” I muttered.

  “Like that?” She pointed above the door.

  I wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but then I saw it. A faint red glow from above the doorframe. It was so faint, there was no wonder I’d missed it. I’m sure I would’ve found it eventually, though. “Good eye,” I said as Nico reached up and took a key off the top. The moment he touched it, the glowing stopped.

  “Not that good of an eye. The thing was as bright as a flashlight.”

  Nico and I exchanged a glance. My guess was that any humans wouldn’t see any type of glowing at all. So what exactly made Gabbie see it so much brighter than Nico and me? Normally I’d assume she was just more powerful, but ever since I had my little upgrade, I knew that wasn’t the case.

  What other secrets did Gabbie have hidden under that beautiful skin of hers?

  I frowned. That thought had come out much more Hannibal Lecter-y than intended. Nico turned the key, and it was as if we were looking into a totally different world. It was no surprise that there was no natural light because Vopura might be some of the most frequent clients.

  The lighting was in a whole range of colors: Red over the bar, which might have been some sort of sick joke. Blue over the tables. Pink over an area that might be filled with dancers when it wasn’t noon. Green along some of the hallways. And unless I was imagining it, which I was damn sure I wasn’t, the edges of my vision were a touch fuzzy. As though I were in the middle of some sort of spell. It was just enough to throw me off my game. And that was the point. To disorient. Confuse.

  “Something’s wrong.” Gabbie reached out and grabbed my arm.

  “It’s a glamour.” I steadied myself so I could help her balance. “Places like this use it a lot. It makes the clientele easier to control. No one wants a supernatural riot breaking out.”

  “How is this going to stop anything from happening?” She was still touching me, but she wasn’t actually putting any weight on me, so I took that as a good sign.

  “If they’re doing this much, they can always turn it up,” I pointed out.

  “You girls grab a table,” said Nico. “I’ll pick us up some drinks.”

  I happened to notice that the bartender was a striking Asian woman wearing a spiky black crop top, and she was already making eyes at Nico. “You take one for the team,” I told him as I scanned for a table. It wasn’t busy at this time of day, so there were plenty of options. I wanted to talk to some of the customers, but I couldn’t exactly take a table right next to anyone. So I took one just a bit out of the way. What I wouldn’t give for super hearing. Now I might actually have to talk to people.

  I took stock of the clientele I did see. There were two women at the table closest to us, leaning very close to each other. Their hair and makeup looked like it was reaching its limits, and my guess was that they were holdovers from the night before.

  Funny, considering Gabbie and I had just been out the night before. But we sure as hell hadn’t been talking that close. I would hazard a guess that they weren’t just coworkers….

  “Should I be trying to scare up a vision?” asked Gabbie.

  I could tell she was also scanning the room, but she probably had no idea what she was looking at.

  “Yes. You should always be trying to scare up a vision.” Nico let out a loud bark of laughter at the bar, and I had a feeling we weren’t going to get any drinks any time soon. “But that’s not the point of you being here. We’re looking for Vopura, and I’m supposed to be giving you a supernatural orientation.”

  “What does that mean?”

  I shrugged. “There are so many different species and races. I’m sure Carter will give you some recommended reading, but the best way to learn is in the field.”

  “Okay. So what races are here?”

  That was sometimes harder to answer than I wanted. The best way to infiltrate anything was to look just like everyone else.
It seemed like even the weirdest-looking creatures had some sort of glamour spell or trinket these days.

  But there were a few things I could point out. I leaned in closer to Gabbie. “Do you see the guy at the bar next to Nico? He’s got horns. So he’s probably some species of demon.”

  “Demon?”

  “Yes. Like from hell. They’re great in bed, but pretty shitty everywhere else. They like to tempt anyone and everyone to corrupt souls. They all seem carefree and fun, but they’re always thinking about how they can suck you into their trap.”

  “And you know someone’s a demon if they have horns?”

  “Probably. But they can also hide the horns to fit in better with humans. But with weirder things being publicly acceptable, I’ve seen more and more of them going au naturel.”

  “What about the bartender?” asked Gabbie. “She looks human to me. Is she a witch or psychic?”

  I glanced at her and frowned. “That one’s harder.” There were a bunch of options, but I closed my eyes and took a guess. “I’m going to go with siren.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “One of these days, you’re going to just believe me when I tell you all this weird shit.”

  “I thought sirens are mermaids who lure sailors to their deaths. That’s a bartender.”

  “First of all, someone’s job doesn’t define them. Secondly, I’m sure sirens did lure sailors to their deaths at one point. Sailoring just isn’t as popular as it used to be.” I glanced over at the girl. “She looks pretty normal, right? What do we see about her? Drop-dead gorgeous, and a giant-ass choker around her neck.”

  “So you’re guessing,” said Gabbie.

  “It’s an educated guess,” I muttered.

  Gabbie let out a laugh, and I had to smile too. She was taking to all this so well. Assuming we didn’t get shut down any minute now, she was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

  Even though it wasn’t busy, it wasn’t exactly slow. Periodically, someone would poke in and out of the bright-green hallways. I hoped Nico was asking the bartender for more information about how to get into those back rooms. I knew we were only supposed to be looking for Vopura, but my curiosity was piqued.

  Besides, most vampires liked privacy when they fed. Though, now that I glanced around the room, the booths along the edges were much more in shadow than the rest of the room. This was not the kind of place I wanted to look at under a black light.

  Abruptly, the other chair at our table was pulled out, scraping against the concrete floor as a stranger sat down. Once again, he looked human. Big and burly, with a thick beard and dark hair dotting his big hands. Maybe werewolf, but that was just wild speculation. “G’day, ladies,” he said in a thick Australian accent. “Couldn’t help but notice you sitting here alone and sad. Care for a chat?”

  I noticed he was talking as though he were conversing with both of us, but his eyes were firmly fixed on Gabbie. Damn, I love being right. “Who can say no to a friendly chat?” I smirked. My instinct was to tell him to go packing, but I had to remember why I was actually here.

  “So what brings you girls here to Delirium?”

  “Just a long boring day with nothing to do. I heard whispers about this place and thought it would be a fun place to shoot the shit.”

  “We’ve got the best shit to shoot here.” He winked. “You can call me Mason. Do you have names? Or should I call you Cutie Number One and Cutie Number Two?”

  I had serious doubts about whether this routine ever actually worked for him. But then again, he was talking to me, and that was what I needed.

  “I’m Gabbie.”

  “Sonia.” I leaned back in my chair. “My friend here is a psychic. She’s been working on her abilities. Do you want to let her test on you?”

  Gabbie kicked me from beneath the table. “That’s not happening,” she quickly clarified.

  Mason looked between us. For the first time, he looked uncomfortable. “I’m all for being touched, but a man has to keep his secrets.”

  “That’s a shame. The favorite pastime of cute girls usually involves uncovering all a man’s secrets.”

  “Yeah, but not right away. Half the fun is the chase.”

  “The other half of the fun is the kill.”

  Mason’s eyes lost their smile as he stared at me. I immediately knew I’d gone too intense on that one. What can I say? My flirting skills were a bit rustier than I’d like to admit.

  “I don’t do relationships like that. I’m no bloodsucker.”

  Bingo.

  “I hope not. Middle of the day—shouldn’t the Vopura be safely tucked in their coffins?”

  Mason’s eyes narrowed. “So you’ve heard about them, have ya?”

  “I’ve heard about a lot of things I wish I could forget. Luckily, I haven’t met one yet—that I know of.”

  Mason held up a hand. “Hey, I know bloodsuckers. I’m a finder.”

  “What?” asked Gabbie.

  Hell. I’d heard about finders but never met one. “Kinda like you,” I told her. “Psychic, but able to search out hard-to-find items. Like a bloodhound for the mystical.”

  “Not just the mystical. There’s anything you want to find—money, goals, a good time—you give me something that will help me latch onto it and I’ll take you there.”

  “For a price.”

  His wide smile showed off his bright-white teeth. “A reasonable price. I’m nothing if not reasonable.”

  “Yeah, I bet you are.” But I couldn’t get too distracted by Mason’s charm. “So are there Vopura hanging around here at night?”

  “Practically crawling. If you want to stay away from them, I can show you a different place we can go to tonight. Someplace more private.”

  It suddenly occurred to me that Mason was now spending a lot more time focused on me than Gabbie. Maybe he considered me an easier mark because I was doing most of the talking. I was never one to enjoy leading men on, but I supposed in this instance I was doing it for the greater good. “Tell me what they’re like.” I leaned closer, using body language to say things I didn’t want to actually say.

  “Oh, just like a gang of bullies. You’d think that since the vampires kicked their asses and they ran with their tails tucked between their legs, they would’ve been humbled. But they’re still walking around like they own the city. They travel in groups to force everyone to do what they want. They don’t know how to charm their way into what they want, like I do.”

  “You’ve got gifts. You can’t fake charm.”

  “There are a lot of things the ladies can’t fake around me.”

  Oh, Mason. I wasn’t going to lie; I was getting a little too into this flirting. When was the last time I’d really flirted with anyone? He was just so cocky. It was hard to believe he wasn’t at least partly correct about his talents.

  “How big is the group of Vopura?” I asked.

  “Some days just two or three, some days up to ten. All dudes. The owner of Delirium had to work overtime to keep the bodies from their meals from piling up. It’s all bad for business, but there’s too many to just kick out. We’re all about keeping the peace here.”

  “Who’s the leader of this group?” Maybe I should’ve eased into that question more, but he was giving me such good information.

  “Big fella. Mean, too. He calls himself Dodge.”

  Boom. That’s what I wanted. The leader was Dodge; he was the one we’d go after first. A smile tugged at my lips. “This is all just so fascinating.”

  “I prefer ladies be fascinated by me.” Mason leaned in even closer.

  “I’m sure they are. Usually.”

  “For real, though, you want a good time, give me a night. I’ll make it one you never forget. I even have a fresh batch of Solaris in my bag.”

  I practically jumped back from him. “You have Solaris?”

  “Yeah. If you want a free sample, all you have to do is ask.” He reached into a pocket, and by the time he threw the small ba
ggie of white pills on the table, I was up and five feet away from the table.

  “I’m good, thanks. I’m going to check on Nico.” I felt bad for leaving Gabbie at the table with Mason, but a few moments later, I heard her following me.

  Despite myself, my heartrate had kicked up and I could feel the pounding in my throat. And as though I wasn’t being obvious enough with my freak-out, when Gabbie touched my arm, I flinched.

  “What was that?”

  I rolled my shoulder, moving Gabbie’s hand off me. But I didn’t answer because we were approaching the bar. “I’m calling it,” I said to Nico.

  He gave me an annoyed look. “We just got here.”

  “Something came up. But I’m a big girl. I can find my own way back.”

  “You can hang out with us if you’d like.” The bartender’s dark eyes seemed to zero in on me.

  I immediately looked away. Nico seemed more than willing to let her entrance him as much as she wanted, but I didn’t need to fall under that sort of spell. And I sure as hell didn’t need to have a three-way with a sexy siren and the IT guy.

  “I’m good, thanks.” I was too shaken to truly be flattered by the siren’s offer. “I’ll see you around,” I said to Nico, giving him a little nod as I left. Probably wouldn’t be smart to say something like “see you back at the office.”

  Gabbie followed me out, and I already had my app opened and ready to call a rideshare. “For real, are you going to tell me what’s up?”

  “I’m just being a pussy.”

  I couldn’t imagine what my father would say if he saw me right now. He always thought I was a coward. Now I was just proving him right. And if I didn’t give Gabbie some sort of concrete answer, she was just going to keep pestering me. “Solaris is a drug. A lot of supernaturals use it. It’s hard for us to be hit by drugs or alcohol. Usually our tolerances are a lot bigger than normals’. But there’s nothing people like more than the ability to get out-of-their-mind plastered.”

  “Are you a recovering addict or something? Because my brother had a problem and I had to go through recovery with him. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.”