by Deanna Chase
Dax walked over to the desk, scanned the stack of paperwork separated into three piles. More victims. At least these weren’t dead. But they did all have something in common—each one was an allegation against the Cryrique for feeding on humans without consent. Another sheet of paper sat off to the side. Dax picked it up and felt a wave of relief wash over him when he realized it was a formal complaint to be lodged with the city against Allcot and his vampires. Dax had been worried that since the shifters had appointed themselves protectors of the city that they’d start to take matters into their own hands. The complaint proved Bandu was still following protocol.
“This looks promising,” Dax said.
“What does?” Leo asked, moving to look over Dax’s shoulder.
“Oh, that.” He made a disgusted face. “The city won’t do anything. Bandu just files those to prove a point. No one ever takes action.”
Dax frowned. “They don’t? You sure? They’re supposed to forward them to the Arcane.”
Leo shook his head. “Nope. They only forward the worst ones. These? The victims usually see a healer and then can barely remember what happened. And because they don’t make waves, the city ignores them, pretends the problem isn’t that bad. Bandu says it’s because the city wants to keep the Cryrique happy. Likes the millions in tax revenue they generate every year.”
That niggling feeling that something was off flared to life again as Dax listened to Leo. His explanation wasn’t what Dax had experienced while working for the Void. The investigative agency had people in city government who were extremely vigilant about paranormal complaints, transferring all but the most minor ones to the Void. As far as Dax knew, actual vampire attacks on humans were down significantly.
Was he wrong about that? Was there a massive, city-wide government cover-up that had caused Bandu and the pack to turn into a watchdog group? That was entirely possible. Dax picked up one of the reports on the desk and read the complaint. Twenty-two-year-old woman, recent college graduate, worked at the Red Door.
The Red Door? That was Allcot’s place down on Frenchmen Street. Very few humans worked there, and the ones who did were trusted members of the inner circle, usually waiting to be turned. It wasn’t easy for a human to get a job there. Dax moved on to the complaint.
Lacy Wallace claims she worked at the Red Door for thirteen months. During that time, she was continually pressured to seek vampirism. When it became clear Miss Wallace had no interest in turning vampire, her direct supervisor, Bella Jaxon, attacked her and fed from her until Miss Wallace passed out. She was fired two days later and told she was let go due to her refusal to turn vampire.
Dax frowned and picked up the other two complaints. The stories were similar except the women worked at the corporate offices, but they also each accused their direct supervisors. The Cryrique did employ plenty of humans in their offices. They had to in order to keep the organization running. There weren’t enough vampires to sustain such a force.
But the clubs? That was a different story. And Lacy Wallace didn’t pass the smell test. At least not with Dax. He knew Bella Jaxon, and to his knowledge she’d only turned two vampires in her years, and both of them were her flesh-and-blood sisters.
All of Allcot’s vampires were extremely selective in who they chose to become part of the hive. The act of turning a vampire was highly personal and intimate, and not a venture vampires took lightly. When a newbie was turned, the vampire who brought them over was then responsible for the fledgling in every way, emotionally, physically, financially. Unless Lacy Wallace had some sort of close relationship with Bella, it was hard to imagine she’d have been pressured to turn. It just wasn’t Bella’s or the other Cryrique vampires’ modus operandi.
“Leo,” Dax said, “do you have plans this afternoon?”
“No. I was going to do more canvassing with Dali, but he’s out getting food with his girl. Why?”
“I want to check something out. I could use backup.” It was never a good idea to go into vampire territory without a partner, and while Leo wasn’t his first choice, he was a good fighter. He’d do if things got out of hand for some reason.
The younger shifter’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “You mean something for the Arcane?”
Dax paused for a moment, wondering how to answer. Was this for the Arcane? He didn’t exactly know. But he just couldn’t shake his gut feeling that the complaints were bogus. And if they were, he needed to get to the bottom of why. “Yeah. But unofficial for the moment. Just following up on a hunch.”
“Absolutely! Let me just text Dali.”
“No.” Dax shook his head. “Let’s keep this quiet for now. At least until we know if we have anything worth talking about.
“Okay, sure. Yeah. I can do that. Should I arm myself?” The excitement in the kid’s eyes only fed Dax’s unease. He was far too willing to do whatever Dax asked of him just to get a taste of the action.
“No, kid. Not this time. Where we’re going, you’ll be lucky if they even let you in the door. If they find out you’re armed, you’ll never make it past the bouncer.”
“Oh.” His excitement vanished, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Okay, but where exactly are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“Marrok. What the hell are you doing here?” Branson, the bouncer at the Red Door asked. “I thought you were out with Kilsen, hunting down Pandora and those two fae.”
“Kilsen is with Allcot,” Dax said, as if that in any way explained why he was at the club at four in the afternoon. He and Leo were just inside the entrance of the club in a small holding area, waiting to see if Branson was going to let them through the security check.
“I see. That’s too bad for you,” he said with a sleazy leer. “You know Allcot’s always had a thing for that hot piece of ass, right?”
A growl rumbled from Dax’s throat.
The tall bouncer threw his head back and laughed. “I knew you had a thing for her. Poor bastard.”
“Phoebe’s hot,” Leo said from behind Dax. “But Dax doesn’t have anything to worry about. She’d never let a vampire get his fangs into her. She doesn’t swing that way.”
Branson sneered at Leo. “Who the fuck is this?”
“He’s my shadow for the day. Considering a career with the Arcane,” Dax said offhandedly. “Which brings me to why we’re here. I need to talk to Bella Jaxon. Is she around?”
“Bella? What do you want to talk to her for?”
“Just need to ask her some questions. I’m trying to corroborate a story,” Dax said, doing his best to not raise the bouncer’s suspicions. If he thought Bella was in any kind of trouble, Dax would never get through those doors. “Nothing to worry about.”
The bouncer shook his head, a look of disgust on his face. “This is what you’re doing while those two fae are missing? I thought they were friends of yours, man. Jesus.” He laughed. “And they say vampires are coldhearted.”
Dax didn’t take the bait. He just stood there, waiting.
“Whatever.” Branson waved a hand. “Talk to Bella if you want, but I’d be careful if I were you. She’s pissed as hell about Pandora, and I don’t know how she’s going to take talking to a couple of mutts.”
“What did you say, bloodsucker?” Leo spat out from behind Dax.
Branson glared at the kid then shifted his dangerous gaze back to Dax. “Control your pup, or I’ll do it for you.”
Leo stepped around Dax, his fists clenched and muscles straining as he got in Branson’s face. “Bring it on, asshole. I’ll rip you—”
“Enough.” Dax grabbed Leo by his shirt collar and hauled him back before Branson took it upon himself to break the kid’s neck.
“Hey!” Leo flailed, trying to squirm out of Dax’s hold. “Let me go. I can’t let that vamp get away with speaking to me like that. Did you hear what he said? He called me a fucking mutt! That piece of—”
“I said enough!” Dax roared as he slammed Leo up against the wal
l, holding him in place. “Didn’t you hear me, Leo? You will control yourself, or this is the last time you’ll ride with me, got it?”
“Fuck, Dax. Let me down. I thought we were pack. I thought we—”
Dax leaned in close, pressing his forearm against the young shifter’s throat. Then he lowered his voice and in a harsh whisper said, “We’re in vampire territory. Do you understand that?”
Leo didn’t move, just stared at Dax, his eyes wide.
“I said do you understand that?”
“Yeah,” he croaked out.
“That means we play by their rules. If you want inside their private club, then if they want to insult you, they can and will. It’s their way of getting under your skin and rattling you.”
“It’s bullshit,” Leo rasped.
“So fucking what? They have something we want. We can either put up with it or not. But if we choose not, it just means we’ll leave empty-handed. So for today, what do you think we’re going to do?”
Leo closed his eyes, looking pained.
“That’s right, kid. We’re going to take it, because we don’t have a choice. If you want to throw down with Branson when you meet him out on the streets, then be my guest. But for today, if you’re with me, you’ll take his bullshit and swallow it until we get what we came for. Tuck your ego and pride away, son. Neither will help you in this game. Understand me?”
Leo opened his pale blue eyes and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Dax pulled his arm away and raised his eyebrows in a question. Leo cleared his throat and said, “I understand.”
“Good.” Dax released the shifter and smoothed his shirt. “Now we can get back to business.” He turned back to Branson. “I apologize for my apprentice. He hasn’t quite learned his place in this world yet.”
Branson eyed Leo. “Why should I let you in my club after that outburst?”
Leo stared at the bouncer for a moment then shifted his gaze to Dax.
“He probably wants an apology,” Dax said with an amused half smile.
“Yeah. An apology would be nice. And a twenty. I want to take my girl somewhere nice after work,” Branson said.
“With just a twenty?” Dax scoffed. “What are you gonna do, take her to the park and open up a box or two of wine?”
“Marrok is right,” Branson said with a nod. “Better make it a fifty.”
“Fuck,” Leo said, grimacing.
“Expensive lesson, kid,” Dax said.
“No fucking kidding.” Leo dug in his pocket and came up with thirty-two dollars. He held the bills out to Branson. “It’s all I got. Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll take it.” Branson turned to Dax and grinned. “Thanks, Marrok. Now I can upgrade to something with a cork.”
“Good for you, dude.” Dax glanced over his shoulder. “Come on, Leo. And keep your temper in check. You can’t afford to piss off another vamp.”
Leo shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders, looking every bit like a sullen teenager.
16
Once Dax and Leo passed through the security screening, they paused for a moment, letting their vision adjust to the dark interior. Being that it was a vampire club, there weren’t any windows and the lights were adjusted for a soft glow.
Dax led the way across the room and nodded to the pretty redheaded vampire behind the bar. “Hey, Cassie. How’s it going?”
“Not too bad. But it’s early yet.” She swept her gaze over him, her eyes lingering on his chest before moving lower. She eyed his crotch and licked her lips, purposely trying to torture him. It didn’t work though. It never did. Vampires just weren’t his type. “You’re looking mighty fine today.”
“Thanks.” Dax smiley lazily at her, giving her the reaction he knew she was waiting for. “You’re not looking too bad yourself.”
“It’s the eternal-youth thing,” she said with a wink and turned her attention to Leo. “Now, what do we have here?”
“Cassie, this is Leo. He’s a friend of mine. Leo, this is Cassie. She’s the one who’s really in charge around here. Right, Cassie?”
She chuckled. “That’s right. This place would fall apart without me.” She swept the same seductive gaze over Leo and leaned across the counter, giving him a perfect view of her cleavage. “I’d really like to be in charge of this one for the night. What do you say, Leo? Are you game?”
The younger shifter’s gaze was locked on Cassie’s ample bosom as he shook his head.
“No?” Cassie asked in a mock shy tone as she ran one fingernail lightly down his forearm. “But just think of the things I could teach you. A young pup like you, so full of vigor and energy… Damn, it would be one hell of an evening.”
“Uh…” Leo swallowed thickly. “I um…”
Cassie threw her head back and laughed. “So young. What I wouldn’t do to get my fangs into you, handsome.”
Leo jerked back and shook his head, the seduction haze vanishing instantly. “No, thank you, ma’am. I’m not, um, available.”
Cassie pushed her bottom lip out in a little pout. “That’s too bad, Leo. I was looking for someone to make me purr.”
“I bet you were,” Dax said, rolling his eyes. “Give the kid a break, huh? We’re actually here on business.”
Cassie swept her gaze over Leo one more time and sighed. “Too bad. I like the green ones. They’re easier to train.”
“I’m not green,” Leo said, clearly offended.
“Sure, kid.” She smiled patiently at him. “If you say so.” Then she turned to Dax, her sex kitten demeanor vanishing as she straightened and eyed him with suspicion. “You said you’re here on business?”
“Yeah. I have questions about an incident.”
She rolled her eyes. “Who doesn’t?”
“So you admit that it’s usual for complaints to be filed against the management here?” Leo asked, his self-righteousness on full display.
“Dammit, Leo,” Dax said. “What did I tell you after the shitshow with Branson?”
“I—”
Dax growled. “Shut the fuck up. I’ve got this handled.”
The kid grimaced and took a step back, apparently finally getting the message his arrogant sideshow wasn’t welcome.
Cassie chuckled. “Got him on a short leash, don’t you?”
Dax ignored her question and asked, “Did you know Lacy Wallace? College age, human, claims to have worked here?”
“Lacy? Sure.” Cassie nodded. “Cute blonde. She was very into the vampire lifestyle. Poor thing was so clueless she even wore a vial of blood around her neck. Very Angelina Jolie.”
“She’s enthralled with vampires then? Some sort of vampire worship going on?” Dax pulled out a small notebook and flipped it open.
“Definitely. Girl wants to be a vamp so bad she can taste it. I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason Bella hired her. Most humans who aren’t into it don’t last long here.”
“What does that mean, ‘don’t last long?’” Leo asked.
Dax wasn’t happy his protégé wasn’t obeying orders, but it was a question he was going to ask himself, so he let it slide.
“They can’t handle it and they quit,” Cassie said, placing three shot glasses on the bar. “Vampires have their own code of conduct. We don’t really play by the regular rules of society.” Her lips curved back into that seductive smile. “We’re much less repressed.”
“So she was sexually harassed?” Leo asked.
“She? You mean Lacy?”
Leo nodded. “Yeah, Lacy.”
Cassie laughed and poured amber liquid into each of the shot glasses in front of her. “Boy, please. If anyone was doing the harassing, it was Lacy herself. I told you, she was relentless. She tried everything from flirting and charming, to seducing to get a vamp to turn her ass. It was embarrassing, to be honest. Finally Bella had to fire her because the customers were complaining.”
“Does Bella have documentation?” Dax asked. He believed Cassie. The vampi
re was a one hundred percent straight shooter. If she or anyone else had been pursuing or harassing Lacy, she would’ve just spit it out. Cassie was telling the truth when she said the vamps at the Red Door weren’t repressed in any way. Sexual innuendo was a way of life for them. None of them ever tried to hide it. And that’s why he fully believed that Lacy had been trying to get herself turned.
“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Cassie jerked her head, indicating the vampire in question was behind them.
Dax turned and nodded at the gorgeous, dark-skinned vampire. She was striking with her perfect mahogany skin and dark hair so long it nearly reached her ass.
“Dax Marrok,” she said with a genuine smile. “What brings you by this lazy afternoon? I would’ve thought for sure you’d be out with that witch of yours searching for the fae couple.” Her expression darkened and she shook her head. “It’s a real tragedy what happened to them. And Pandora as well. Allcot is just beside himself.”
“Is he here? Have you heard from him?” Dax asked, more out of curiosity about where Phoebe might be rather than the Cryrique leader.
“No, no. I’m sure we won’t see him until he can bring Pandora home.” The vampire’s eyes moistened, and she blinked back real tears. It was a side of her Dax had never seen before. A welcome side. “I don’t know what I’ll do if anything happens to her. She’s like a sister to me.”
Leo’s mouth dropped open, and a look of shock filtered over his face as he stared at the lovely vampire.
“Jesus,” Cassie scoffed. “You’d think the pup had never seen a vamp cry before.”
“I… I guess I haven’t,” Leo said. “I’ve never really spoken to one outside of an altercation.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Figures. Don’t you think you’d be better served working off that energy in bed rather than trying to kick some vamp’s ass just because he’s different than you?”
“That’s not why I fight vampires,” Leo said.
“So explain it to me,” Cassie said, handing him one of the shots of whiskey and batting her eyelashes at him. Good God, Dax thought. Cassie was relentless. He was certain that if she was given enough time, she’d for sure have the young shifter in the sack by the end of the day and have him thinking it was his idea.
