Sin City Vampire Club

by Kristen Strassel

  Now I was the one who should’ve cautioned him. “I won’t apologize for what I feel.”

  “If you know anything about me, it should be how much I hate coming in second to anyone.” He stirred the coffee too vigorously. “It’s me or Rainey.”

  “I’m sorry.” It didn’t begin to cover it. I didn’t expect the lump that formed in my throat. Blade was one step ahead of me at every turn. “More than that happened while you were gone.”

  He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. I jumped when the key turned in the lock. Rainey was home. “What else?”

  “I went to see Soul Divider.” My voice cracked. Hindsight was crystal clear. I’d traveled to many dangerous places, ancient ones full of people who didn’t understand my powers, but that trip to the Riviera was the stupidest decision I’d ever made. The consequences would forever be my souvenir. Putting words to the memories of the night was almost impossible.

  Rainey gripped the back of my arm. “That bastard Noah sent guards after her. They pulled her up on stage and he humiliated her. Ripped her dress off and everything.”

  Blade’s eyes did that glowy red thing. It didn’t scare me anymore. “Fucking bastard.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir. Noah’s Rachel’s puppet. You need to be concerned with her. Forget Callie. Rachel’s a ruthless bitch and she’s running completely unchecked.” Rainey slammed two mugs down on the counter. She knew it would be a long night. Rainey had no reason to be nocturnal besides the fact I insisted on slumming with the vampires. “Cream? Sugar?”

  “Just cream. Rachel came to me a lot at Embrace. She had a ton of questions,” Blade said. “Cash warned me to stay away from her, but he was never big on explanations.”

  Honesty wasn’t a strong point in any vampire. I reminded myself to take everything Blade said with a mountain of salt. “He created her.”

  Blade sighed after taking a long sip of his coffee. It was easy to forget he was quite possibly the enemy. “She really pissed Cash off. I felt bad for her, because she’s got power. She’s frustrated. It’s flowing through her veins and she’s got no outlet for it. She’s being wasted in this clan.”

  Rainey rolled her eyes. “I don’t think you heard me correctly. She attacked Holly.”

  “I heard you just fine. And I know what you want me to do. I won’t destroy her. She was created by a leader. It’s in her blood. If the clan must have a woman at the helm, it should be her. We need her on our side.” Besides coffee, Blade had a craving for revenge.

  “No way. She’s too dangerous. She doesn’t know the limits of her powers.” And the most important thing. “She took my fire. She only neutralized yours. I’m not a full vampire. It’s not a fair fight.”

  “We’ll agree to disagree.” Blade put his mug in the sink. “Anyone want to be my plus one—or two—at Embrace? It’s a perfect night for a welcome back party.”

  “No,” Rainey and I said in unison.

  Blade headed to the door. I wondered if he realized what a long walk he had ahead of him. I chased after him. “We’re not done. I set you free. You have to hold up your end of the bargain.”

  He stopped. “And what was that?”

  He hadn’t promised me anything. I’d made way too many assumptions. “I want my fire back. And my show.”

  “You’ll get your fire back, Holly.” He licked his lips, still holding the doorknob. I wondered if he was trying to remember the way I tasted. “I want things, too. Don’t forget that.”

  Chapter Three

  “I HATE TO SAY I TOLD you so.” Rainey extracted Blade’s mug from the sink with two fingers like it was covered in creepy-crawlies and put it in the dishwasher. He had no idea that dishes in the sink was one of her biggest pet peeves. There was a poetry to it.

  “No, you don’t.” I poured the rest of the now lukewarm water into a mug and steeped tea. “What’s the score now? Vampires, forty-seven, Holly, nothing? I get it. I can’t win. But I’ll keep fighting until I get my fire back.”

  “I know.” Rainey padded into the living room, kicking off her shoes and curling her feet underneath her on the couch. “You’ll keep getting stronger. We can practice spells that build power. You don’t need him.”

  Rainey had a grimoire, an ancient spell book. She’d always had it, and I’d taken it for granted until she’d used the recipes in there to rebuild my body from a pile of ashes, and to mask her identity so the prison warden believed she was Callie. Forget the vampires, Rainey was the most powerful creature in Las Vegas.

  I rubbed my temples. Time made me dizzy, and for once I welcomed it. I hardly understood my immortality. I needed to make sense of hers.

  “I felt something when Blade was here.” I knew Rainey would roll her eyes. “It was like trying to flick a lighter on, but it didn’t have any fuel.”

  “That’s really good. It’s still there.” She went to the bookshelf. The spell book waited for her in a satin box tied closed with a faded and frayed pink ribbon. It contained so many secrets, she needed both hands to take it out of the box. More ribbons hung out of it, saving the spots of her favorite spells. She didn’t cast often, only out of necessity. But a girl could never be too prepared.

  “But that’s the first time I felt it since Rachel stole my powers from me.” It was hard to talk about, even with Rainey. I hated admitting defeat. I sat on the far cushion of the couch, reading the spell book upside down. “Blade did something to make me feel that way.”

  Rainey raised an eyebrow.

  “Something supernatural,” I clarified. “He didn’t touch me.”

  The image of his bare body burned in my memory. Not the kind of burn I wanted, though. I hoped there was a spell to erase Blade Bennett from my memory. Even if I could time travel again—Rachel swiped that power from me too, the greedy little bitch—I couldn’t change anything about vampire history. Blade was trouble—he’d tangle himself into every facet of my life until I couldn’t remember what it was like before him. The good old days, when I didn’t know who I was or where I came from. I needed to be careful of what I wished for.

  “It’s a start. We can work with that. You’ll need to channel that feeling...” Rainey trailed off when she realized what that feeling was. “We’ll find a spell to bring it back.”

  “I’m willing to try anything.” I was afraid to touch the book. It held powers I didn’t understand, and Rainey regarded the text like she feared it.

  “Don’t rely on him. You’re blinded by the possibility of getting your fire back. He’s worked with Noah in the past, and he’s not willing to break ties with Rachel. He’s not looking out for you, he’s looking out for himself.”

  It hurt to hear, no matter how true it was. The only person who’d ever looked out for me was Rainey. “I’m willing to try any spell in that book. But I can guarantee there’s nothing in that book that will get me back on stage,” I said.

  “Because you don’t need a spell. The power’s inside of you. Nobody can steal that. I See the crowds roaring again, calling your name. And you love it. I See you happy.”

  Rainey didn’t need a spell to access her gift of Sight. Messages came to her, like wisps of smoke, holding her captive in a magic-induced haze until they were over. It was scary as hell to look at her and realize she’d stepped away for a moment. Her visions often came in the form of riddles, but when they came to pass, it was like she’d written a script.

  Our gazes locked, and I leaned carefully over the spell book and kissed her. The last thing I needed was to put my hand on some horrific spell and absorb negative vibes while we were locked together, breathing for each other. Rainey lit a completely different fire inside me than Blade did. Warmth. Faith. Safety.

  It should’ve been enough.

  Rainey chuckled against my lips as I carefully climbed around the spell book and into her lap. She was everything I wasn’t—soft and voluptuous. I envied her body. I was so skinny after burning to a pile of ash. I hadn’t been on stage since
my accident. I wasn’t in any shape to be in front of an audience.

  “What do you suggest?” I asked.

  “Another show started already at Theater Macabre, so we can’t get our show back. The Riviera is gone. The only question left is why Immortal Dilemma is closing? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “What have you heard?” I’d been so focused on Blade’s get out of jail free card I hadn’t been paying attention to the vamps who ran free above ground.

  “According to the gossip sites, people think they’re kicking Tristan out of the band. He’s been partying like crazy lately.”

  “That’s the whole premise of the show. Sex, blood, and rock n’ roll.” An army of women roamed the strip wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the band’s battle cry. “They created their own monster. Nobody can be mad they got what they asked for.”

  Easier said than done.

  Rainey shrugged. “No one has any other theories. The show closes on New Year’s Eve, then Sin City Vampire Club will be empty.”

  “Tristan’s family owns that hotel. They bought it so he had a playground.” Or a babysitter, depending on who you talked to. Tristan Trevosier evoked an emotion among everyone in the undead world whether they loved him or hated him. He couldn’t be expected to go quietly into the night. It wasn’t his style. “It won’t be empty for long.”

  There had to be a plan in place.

  “I think you should talk to him.” Rainey played with my fingers, avoiding eye contact. “Make a proposal.”

  It was official. Hell had frozen over. “Are you feeling okay? You just suggested I work with vampires.”

  Indecision twisted her lips. “They understand what you do, and if they’re invested in you, they won’t hurt you, or let anyone else hurt you.”

  “They’d control me.” I was done letting other people make decisions for me. The whole point of getting my fire back was so I didn’t have to rely on anyone—vampires, humans, or creatures who ticked the ‘other’ box.

  Rainey’s face glazed over for a few seconds. “I See your face on billboards all over the city, surrounded by fire. Use Tristan as a stepping-stone, and take back what’s yours. The arrangement doesn’t have to be forever. Think of what you have to do in the short term to get what you want in the long run.”

  My next kiss caught her off guard. Her head fell back against the cushion, and we both gasped when the spell book landed on the floor with a thunk.

  Then I kicked it. Crap.

  “Sorry.” I apologized more to the book than to her. I leaned over to pick it up, and I swear it zapped me. Creepy ass thing. The spirits that called that book home were not accustomed to disrespectful treatment. My cheeks burned as Rainey took the book from me.

  “Wanna be my date on New Year’s Eve?” I asked. “Go see our old friends in Immortal Dilemma?” Who were not our friends at all.

  Rainey placed the grimoire back in its box. No more magic tonight. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  Chapter Four

  THE SHOW MUST GO ON, no matter what.

  I’d only known my father, Cash Logan, for a precious few weeks before he was destroyed, but he taught me that and many other valuable life lessons. He played a big part in creating the vampire turmoil in Las Vegas. It wasn’t all his fault, but I could confidently point a finger in his direction for most of it. I could say I’d been doing fine without him, but it was an argument I lost every time.

  “Did I pull it off?” Rainey decided a redux of the spell she used to fool the prison guards would be our ticket into the theater. Once again she used magic to make herself look like The Mistress.

  “It’s actually better this time.” It twisted my insides to look at her. I knew Rainey was in there, but I cringed when she slipped her fingers between mine. No one would doubt she was Callie.

  My Aunt Lucille threatened that spells could stick when Rainey and I were kids, but I’d never worried about it until now. Luck wasn’t our strong point, and this would be the one to do it, reminding us that we didn’t belong in Vegas.

  To hell with that. Yes we did.

  “It’s stronger because I believe in it this time.” Rainey practically skipped in her china doll slippers. My Rainey would never skip. “This one’s scarier though, because this is Callie’s stomping ground. The people we’re trying to trick know her. And she’ll be there. One false move and we’re toast.”

  Rainey believed in the spell because this time she wasn’t turning tricks for Blade. She was doing it for me. It should’ve comforted me, but it had the opposite effect. If we pissed off Blade, I was in danger of becoming permanently powerless. She didn’t have a spell to reverse that. We’d scoured her books and there was nothing to return powers to their rightful owners. They had to be taken by force.

  I had yet to convince her I needed Blade. Rainey believed my power was still deep inside me.

  It would’ve been so much easier if we could’ve bought tickets. Immortal Dilemma’s last show had been sold out for months, and tickets on the secondary market went for more than our monthly rent.

  I wrapped my arms around my middle as we entered the Alta Vista Hotel. We were about to cause a major uproar, The Mistress and The Fire Dancer together in public. This could totally backfire if the wrong people saw us. Or anyone saw us, for that matter. We’d make all the gossip sites, which would be awkward because Callie wasn’t actually here. It would’ve been so much easier if we could’ve put the spell into effect only in front of the guards, but magic didn’t work that way.

  Immortal Dilemma had decided to go out with a bang, playing their last show on New Years’ Eve. I’d never been happier I wasn’t a full vampire, because I’d be shitfaced from the energy in Sin City Vampire Club that night. And not a good drunk, either. The theater was full of grown women crying and scheming for their last chance to get close to their heroes. Permanently on the verge of hysteria, their loyal fans had no idea how to say goodbye.

  The crowd parted like a biblical verse when we passed. They called out for Callie, and their requests weren’t filled with niceties. She was an easy target for the fans to hurl blame for the band’s demise. Rainey’s shoulders tensed. Under normal circumstances I’d hold her hand, but that was off-limits, too. Rainey kept her head down and walked quickly. Before Blade’s jailbreak, we’d studied some of Callie’s mannerisms, but not how she acted in front of a crowd. There wasn’t a lot of material. Now I understood why.

  Immortal Dilemma were like strangers with the absolute best candy. Their allure throttled me the minute I walked into the theater. The band embodied the best and worst Las Vegas had to offer—the sensual, unattainable underbelly of reality that people would beg, borrow, and steal to be a part of. Even if it left their lives as they knew them a twisted mess. It was worth it.

  I had to be a part of it, and once I had my fire back, I’d fucking show them all who was the queen of this city.

  No one paid any attention to me as we moved through the crowd. They only wanted Callie. Rainey couldn’t make any statements. We were doing something dangerous—altering vampire history. Our powers usually limited us from doing that very thing—I considered it built-in self-preservation. I smiled brightly at the crowd, hoping to catch someone’s—anyone’s—eye. I finally had a chance to make a statement about what happened at the Soul Divider show. I avoided all news, gossip, and social media since that night. My heart and ego were still fragile from the burn, and I couldn’t handle the truth.

  It was like it never happened. Not because the crowd went out of their way to ignore me; I would’ve welcomed that awkwardness. To these woman, I was nobody. The place inside me that should’ve burned instead echoed with emptiness. They bumped into me, determined to inch closer to the woman who stood between them and their idol.

  The guards’ eyes widened as we approached. “Is everything all right, Mistress?”

  Rainey nodded and smiled.

  “Just running late to the show,” I added before she had a chance to
open her mouth. The spell altered her voice, but it couldn’t change her thoughts.

  They eyed me suspiciously, and I wished I had the ability to go back thirty seconds and not say anything. I wasn’t asking for much. Not even a minute. And the chance to consider that maybe Callie had already been through these doors.

  The two men that stood between us and backstage exchanged a look that screamed bullshit, but they opened the doors. They could doubt us all they wanted, but they knew better than to question The Mistress. That was how things worked in Vampirelandia.

  I let out the breath I held ever since we walked in the building.

  Rainey’s spell had yet to fade. “We need to find a ladies’ room before anyone sees us,” she said. A few stagehands and roadies milled around, making last minute adjustments, but none of them paid attention to us. If it was anything like our show had been, the performers were no different than the crew. We all had a job to do.

  I’d only been backstage at Sin City Vampire Club once before, and I’d been hammered. Alcohol and vampires didn’t mix; only Tristan could pull it off. I hoped. The show was closing, and we had to find out why.

  We ducked into the first bathroom we found. Rainey stared in the mirror, rubbing at her face in frustration. The reflection was still a lie. The spell needed time to fade, and time was a luxury tonight.

  “How are we going to do this?” I hopped on the counter next to her. Rainey never sanctioned vampire games, so I’d follow her lead. My own judgment was sorely lacking.

  The crowd roared from beyond our sanctuary. As the first guitar riff rang through the theater and the beat of the drums rattled the door, the image of Callie shook in the mirror and disappeared.

  Rainey was back.

  “That scared the crap out of me.” She leaned forward, wiping away smudged mascara and any trace of The Mistress that remained. “I couldn’t shake it. I was worried I’d be stuck in her body forever.”

  “What was different this time?” There wasn’t an exact science to what Rainey did. It might not be science at all.