by Raven Steele
I stood up from the table and left the Devil's Playground fully intent on going over to the diner so I could secretly make sure they returned home safely when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I removed it and looked at the screen. Rebecca.
“What is it?”
“It’s Emma. She’s gone.”
Chapter 21
I gripped the phone tightly, my heart hammering in my chest. "What happened?"
She paused. "After I dropped off Amy and made sure the humans were okay at that apartment complex, I returned to the diner, but Emma wasn’t there. They said she asked to get off early.”
"Why would she do that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.
"Probably because she’s sick of babysitters. I’d do the same thing.”
"How long has she been missing for?”
“An hour tops. I returned to Ironwood thinking maybe she came here, but she didn’t. Do you want me to search for her? I might still be able to pick up her scent."
"I'm already on my way to the diner,” I said, as I darted into the nearest alleyway. I pressed off the ground and leaped into the air onto the closest roof, where I could run faster without being seen. “I’ll track her, but stay on alert in case I need you."
I super sped, barely a blur in the wind, across rooftops and leaping over alleyways until I reached the diner, trying to control my anger. If anything happened to her …
I circled the building, then widened my perimeter until I caught her scent. The citrus smell hung in the air as if a lemon tree had been planted nearby. I turned to my left and followed it across the street. It disappeared, but I turned in a full circle until I picked it up again. I continued to follow it, changing directions when necessary.
Her scent led me to the nicer part of town with high-rise hotels and fancy shopping centers. This was an area she would never go to this time of night as most everything was closed. The trail ended at the Corgian Hotel, the nicest hotel in the entire city. Maybe she needed a break from being underground. But why the most expensive one on her budget? Her smell was so strong here, I almost expected to see her standing just inside the lobby. That's when I caught a whiff of another smell. Faint, but still there. Vampires. Many of them.
I turned and looked at the doorman, instantly recognizing him as a vampire. He looked at me knowingly and motioned his head inside as if he was expecting me. I thought about taking a moment to question him, but who knew what was happening to Emma. Every second counted.
I pushed open the doors and scanned the lobby full of crystal chandeliers and marbled floors. At this time of night, the lobby should be empty, but it was surprisingly crowded. Not with humans, vampires. They were dressed in evening gowns and tuxedos, appearing more human than dark creatures of the night. They glanced at me in passing but paid me no attention. Their fancy appearance was a stark contrast to the vampires I had encountered in other parts of the city.
At the front desk, a man behind the counter, a human, asked, "Can I help you, sir?"
I stuttered, a little confused to see a human around so many vampires, especially because neither species seemed to care about the other’s presence. "I'm looking for a woman about my age. Brown hair, probably in a ponytail. She wasn't here too long ago."
"Are you Mr. Crow?" he asked, taking me off guard.
I glanced around the lobby to see if anyone was watching us, but no one cared about our conversation. I looked back at the clerk. "That's me."
"Welcome. We were told to watch for you. Your friends are waiting for you in the penthouse suite. The elevators are just around the corner."
I straightened and snarled, wondering what kind of game they were playing. They had deliberately taken Emma to get at me, and that pissed me off. If they had so much as hurt her feelings, I would rip their hearts out.
Standing in front of the elevator, I glanced to the stairwell. They would expect me to take the elevator. Or would they? Either way, they would be waiting for me.
I decided to take the stairs. If by chance they tried to jump me, at least I'd have an escape route.
It only took a few seconds to appear at the top to the penthouse suite. I stopped at the stairwell door and peaked through an elongated window. Four vampires stood guard. I concentrated hard, connecting myself to the earth. It was difficult to do this high up, but after a moment, I sensed these vamps were each over a century old. I would have a challenging time beating all four of them.
This situation might take a more delicate approach then fists and stakes. The first goal was to make sure Emma was safe.
I opened the door and strolled into the hallway. "You have something that belongs to me."
A vampire in a blue suit stepped forward. His hair was slicked back looking more wet than dry. "If you are speaking about the girl, right now she belongs to us. If you don't do exactly as we say, we will take permanent ownership."
My blood burned hot, and I puffed air through my nostrils. Don’t kill anyone. Not yet.
He sensed my aggression and added, "Are you going to play nice?"
"Let me see her."
He opened the door. All four of the guards backed up so I could pass.
The penthouse suite opened into a great space with a long chandelier hanging from a twenty-foot ceiling. It must've held over a thousand lights. Most everything in the room was white: white sofas, white fur rug, white table. Occasionally there were splashes of reds and blacks. Despite it being warm outside, a fire burned brightly beneath a marble encased mantle.
Two vampire women dressed in short black cocktail dresses sat on the couch holding glasses filled with a crimson liquid. By the smell wafting over to me, the goblets held human blood. They glanced back at me, and the one with long, red hair winked.
I scanned the rest of the room, my eyes finding the woman in black, the same one who had been on the docks with Bastian the first time I had met him. She was staring out a long window, her pale complexion reflecting in the glass. The air felt more concentrated around her as if it were electrically charged. She had some serious power, but, at least for the moment, none of it was focused on me. She didn’t even act like she knew I was there.
I inhaled, smelling Emma’s scent off to my left. I walked around the corner to a gourmet kitchen and stopped when I saw her.
She sat at the end of a long, black dining table. Her hands were bound together, and her disheveled hair was caked in chalky dust. Vampire ash.
Bastian came in from the kitchen holding a plate of food. A steaming lobster, redder in color than I'd ever seen before, rested on top with a side of mashed potatoes and a green salad. He placed it in front of an empty seat. "That didn't take you long."
"Release her," I growled.
He wiped his hands against his white apron, then ran his hand through his silver hair. "I would be happy to if she promises not to kill any more vampires."
My eyes flashed to hers, and she gave me a defiant glare.
"We found her in Pigtown slicing off the heads of a couple of vampires. Brave, but stupid at the same time. She was jumped by much more and had it not been for my men intervening, she'd be a skin suit right now."
I stepped closer to Emma. "Let her go, and you and I can have a chat."
He slid out a chair and sat down at the table. "See? That wasn't so hard. That's all I really wanted in the first place. Had you obeyed my requests, we would never have taken this beautiful, young woman."
"I'm here now. Let her go."
He glanced at Emma. "Will you be a good girl?"
She said nothing but lifted her chin a little. He slammed his fist on the table, making her jump. "I asked you a question."
My insides trembled with rage. Hold it together.
"Yes," she said quickly.
Faster than either of us could move, Bastian reached for a knife in front of him and cut the ropes binding her hands together. She gasped in surprise and rubbed her wrists.
"Did they hurt you?" I asked, unable to soften my voice.
&n
bsp; She shook her head.
"You may leave," Bastian told her. He glanced over at me. "I give you my word she will not be harmed. She will make it safely home."
"I prefer to wait for Aris," she said, her voice sounding strong, yet her hands were visibly trembling.
"Wait for me outside,” I said to her, this time forcing my voice to soften. “I'll hurry. I promise."
She nodded and left us alone. I listened to her steps until they stopped on the sidewalk outside. So far, she had been left alone. I slowly looked over at Bastian. "If you ever touch her again, I will kill you."
“Sit, Aris. I have made you an excellent meal. I boiled the lobster in blood. It makes for the most delicious flavor.”
“I don’t want it.”
"Pity. Such a horrible thing to waste." He pushed up from his chair and walked into the kitchen. "I have many questions for you."
"You have five minutes."
He reached into a drawer and pulled out some Tupperware. He walked over to the table and placed the lobster inside the plastic container. "I will take as much time as I need. You need to understand your place. The Principes Noctis have an order to things."
"I am not, nor will I ever be, a part of Principes Noctis."
"I fear you have been given misinformation about who we are." He slid the food toward me. "Take this for later. You really will appreciate it.”
I left the container where it was. "I have seen firsthand how you vampires live."
He tsked me and returned to his seat. "You have only seen the deviants of our society, the lowest of the low. We do not take pleasure in hurting humans. As I said before, there is an order to things, but we've had trouble among us lately that has disrupted this order. And that is why I have sought you out."
"I don’t understand.”
"I'm sure you've seen an abundance of new vampires lately. They are being created without our permission, something we don’t like to give as newborns can be reckless and uncontrollable. Whoever is doing it needs to be stopped before they ruin our city.”
I leaned toward him across the table. “This is not your city. You were never invited.”
He addressed one of the guards standing at the edge of the room. "Get us something to drink. Business should never be discussed without wine."
The man disappeared but arrived a moment later with two glasses filled with a deep burgundy-colored liquid. It looked like blood but was too thin. Bastian picked the goblet up and swirled it around, inhaling deeply. "You have been gone a long time, Aris Crow. The city has changed in your absence. So now you are left with a few options. Learn about us and our purpose, then either join us or leave us alone to our business. Or you can leave the city. If you can’t do one of those things, and you continue to get in our way, we will kill you.”
His eyes lifted to mine, and I felt the strength behind his gaze. He was centuries old at least. I would not win him in a battle.
"We will not take pleasure in your death," he added. "You are an excellent addition to this city, and the Principes Noctis feels you could help make it great again. You just need to understand us. We sincerely want to be a part of human's lives. We believe the two species can live together in a symbiotic relationship."
I shook my head. "It's impossible. A vampire’s bloodlust is too great."
"Impossible for you?"
I held his gaze for as long as I could until I was forced to look away.
"I know what you've been doing,” he said. “I don't judge you. Drinking from a human’s vein is what we are meant to do. There is no shame in doing this, but it must be controlled. It’s also possible to make it beneficial for the human. It can be quite therapeutic for them.”
I snorted.
"You don't believe me?"
"I've seen how your vampire’s treat humans."
"They are not mine,” he snapped. “Someone is creating them. The Principes Noctis does not agree with treating humans in such a manner. That is why these new vampires must be stopped, along with whoever is making them." He lengthened the sleeves on his arms as if they were bothering him. "Let me show you how the Principes Noctis really live, the true members. Come to my home tomorrow night as my guest. We're having a private dinner. I think you'll be surprised by how we conduct ourselves with humans."
I searched his blue eyes for any deceit. If he was lying, I could not tell, but how could he be telling the truth? I had heard countless stories of how they had destroyed human cities. "I'm busy tomorrow."
"Let me rephrase. I demand your presence. You have been brainwashed into thinking a certain way, and I need to show you another."
I leaned forward again. "And if I don't come?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the witch moving in the living room, just a fraction of an inch, but the motion had disrupted the pressurized power surrounding her.
"Then your lady friend may need to suffer the consequences for murdering two vampires who did her no harm. We overlooked the slight, but I can readily change my mind."
I considered his words. I could attempt to fight him right now, but I feared I would lose. Where would that leave Emma? Or the others?
"Time?" I asked.
He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a card and slid it toward me. "Come to this address at midnight. And I think it goes without saying that you must come alone. The shifter you associate with will be killed on site."
I picked up the card and slipped it into the same pocket as Victor's. I couldn't believe I was carrying the calling cards of both my enemies.
"As for this vampire who’s turning others,” he said, “we will discuss it more tomorrow. I have some theories I'd like to run by you."
"What do you expect me to do about it?"
"Why, kill them of course. The people of this city expect their hero to keep them safe."
"I'm no hero."
"Whether you believe it or not, doesn't matter. Humans think you are their savior, and I'm going to solidify that belief."
"I don't want to be anyone’s savior."
"Your actions would speak otherwise." He rose from his chair and removed his apron. I also came to my feet and stepped away from the table.
"Don’t forget your lobster. It really is divine." He picked up the Tupperware and held it toward me. "I insist. Don't offend me."
I took hold of the food and turned to leave.
He stopped me at the door. "You were seen with Victor earlier today."
I glanced back at him.
"Although he is part of us in a way, we do have one rule we must insist you follow. You are not to interact with him. He is the ruler of the day, and there is a hierarchy of communication."
"Are we finished?"
“Don’t cross us, Aris. We can either be a powerful ally or a ruthless enemy. It’s your choice what we become.”
Chapter 22
I bolted from the building anxious to see Emma. I found her leaning against the brick wall her head lowered. After tossing the food Bastian had given me into a nearby trash can, I gripped her by both arms. "Are you really okay?"
She looked up at me. "How do I answer that? I live in a city full of vampires. I killed two earlier today. They've attempted to kill me themselves. Physically? I've never been stronger. Mentally? I feel like I'm losing my mind."
I stepped away from her when the smell of her sweet blood filled my nostrils. I reminded myself to stop breathing. "That was dangerous to take on vampires."
She huffed and walked down the street. "What the hell am I supposed to do? During the day, you're either gone or locked in your room sleeping. Roman is nowhere to be found. Then there’s Rebecca who’s around part of the time, which don’t get me wrong, I really like her, but I can tell she’s keeping secrets too. I also like Amy and even Oz and his quirkiness. But it's the same thing every single day. Wake up underground, go to sleep underground. The only thing to break up the monotony is my job. I can't do it anymore! I'm twenty-two years old, and instead of living my
life, I'm living in the sewers."
I cringed at the reference. "It's a little nicer than that."
"I know I can leave Coast City. I've told myself that a million times, but I just can’t." She looked up at me, her eyes tired. "You know what I mean?"
“You want to help. Is that why you killed those vampires?”
“They were trying to buy a girl for the night. I had to step in.”
I stared at her, my eyebrows lifted. “You impress me so much. I wish I had half your strength.”
We continued walking, but she turned a direction that didn't lead to an underground entrance to Ironwood.
"Where we going?" I asked. By the moons positioning in the sky, it was nearly two in the morning.
"I'm going for a walk."
I fell in step with her, wondering how I could make things better for her. I remembered how I had felt all those years ago when Roman had refused to let me fight. I could see all the horrible things happening in the city and knew I could stop at least some of them. Ironwood had felt like a prison during those years.
She walked a couple of more blocks before I realized where she was leading me to. Just up ahead was the park where we had shared a kiss beneath a bridge. My whole body came alive, and I growled low in my throat, wanting to taste her like I had that night.
"I thought about you a lot while you were gone, or really dead like everyone believed." She glanced at me sideways. “Do you remember your last words to me?"
Every word, but I pretended I didn't and shook my head.
"You told me that no matter what I saw that night, you would always be there for me. Even though I saw your body riddled with bullets, I just knew you had to be alive. I admit after a few months of not seeing or hearing anything about you, I began to doubt. But then I heard rumors of your return."
She stepped onto a paved path that led to the bridge. Moonlight streamed in great ribbons spooling from the dark sky. They highlighted the splash of gold in her dark hair. "I was angry when you didn't come to see me right away. I really thought we had something between us. Something strong and unbreakable."
