by Trina M. Lee
“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” Seth gestured to the view, beaming as if he’d created it all by himself.
“It sure is,” I agreed, eyeing a nearby plant. “This whole suite is so lavish. You must make a lot of money to be able to throw your party here.”
Maybe it was too direct too soon. Cut to the chase didn’t work when playing a role. Still, I didn’t have hours or days to lure this guy deeper. That kind of espionage wasn’t for me. Vampires had no patience for anything but the right moment to make the kill.
“I do all right.” Seth’s dark eyes roved over me. “You must meet a lot of rich men in your line of work.”
Annoyed that he’d sidestepped my remark, I tried another angle. “You have no idea. Some of the richest in the world. Also some of the most dangerous.”
“Is that so? Like who?” Eyes narrowed, Seth seemed to be trying to figure me out.
I ran my fingers over my lips in a my-lips-are-sealed motion. “You know I can’t share that kind of information. Client confidentiality and all that.”
“Of course.” Angling closer, Seth slid an arm around my waist. “Do you like dangerous men, Molly?”
The guy fit the bill of tall, dark, and handsome. Too bad for his fiancée, he was a scumbag cheater. I wondered what she thought he really did for a living. Smiling into his stupid face, I resisted every urge to sink fangs into his carotid and leave him to bleed out.
“Dangerous men certainly make life more interesting. They always have some kind of fantastic tale to leave me with. Some of the most fascinating men I’ve ever met.” Not a word of that last bit had been a lie. I did know some amazingly deadly and alluring men. I currently shared a house with many of them.
“So you’re that kind of girl.” Seth’s eyes lit up. Brushing the hair off my shoulder, he dragged his lips over my bare flesh. “You like to hear all about it, do you? I have some stories that would terrify you out of your skin.”
With a giggle and an eye roll, I gave him a playful shove, taking care to hide my strength. “Oh please. I’ve heard everything from alien encounters to drug cartel secrets. I doubt there is anything you can tell me to top that.”
As Seth continued to kiss his way to my neck, I swallowed down the ball of revulsion that rose in my throat, almost choking on it. I hoped he gave me something good before he tried slipping a hand in my panties.
“You don’t think so?” he murmured against my ear, his breath hot and smelling of hard alcohol. “What if I told you that the monsters of your childhood were real? Vampires who prey on humans, wearing human faces. Not just fiction after all.”
Now I laughed, both because he probably expected it and because the man was a damn fool. “Then I’d say you must be on some good shit, and I’d ask where I could score some. If vampires existed, I’m pretty sure we’d know by now.”
When I kept glancing down below to keep Dalyn in sight, Seth turned me to face him. Tucking a lock of hair behind my ear, his eyes twinkled like he just couldn’t wait to spill more truths that I wouldn’t believe.
“They don’t want you to know, and neither do we. Me and the guys here, that’s what we do. Glorified monster hunters for the government.” He mashed his lips against mine before I saw it coming. Cramming his tongue into my mouth, Seth forced a kiss that wasn’t sexy in any way.
“So you’re like Agent Mulder or something?” I deadpanned, still not taking him seriously. Playing it off like total bullshit was getting me more than if I’d been hanging on his every word.
“I can tell you right now that you’re far more likely to run into a vampire or werewolf in this city than an alien. Believe it or not.” Seth drained the last of his drink in one swallow, tipping his head back.
When he wasn’t looking, I tipped my glass over the plant pot behind me, lowering the level in my glass. Then I brought it to my lips to leave a smear of lipstick on the edge. Scanning the main level again, I panicked. Dalyn was gone, and so was the man she’d been with.
“So these vampires and werewolves,” I said, trying not to seem distracted. “They’re just running around the city accosting unsuspecting humans? If that were true, seems we’d notice the dead bodies piling up.” My delivery implied that I humored Seth.
Drunk and full of himself, he didn’t seem to realize that I was guiding the conversation. Now that I had him talking, I wanted to keep it that way. But if Dalyn didn’t reappear soon, I was going to look for her.
“They cover it up. So do we. The general public doesn’t need to know this shit. They have enough to worry about on the news each night. If they knew about the things I’ve seen, there would be mass pandemonium. It’s safer for everyone if they don’t know.” Sliding both hands around my waist, Seth tried to pull me against him.
I resisted. Inside my head I told myself to stay calm. Play along. With a hand on his chest, I held him at arm’s length, batting my lashes. “Hold up. Where do these monsters come from? Were they human once? You can’t expect me to believe that they all want that life of mayhem.”
Seth frowned but appeased me by responding before trying for another grope. “No, I guess they don’t all want that. Otherwise they wouldn’t be joining our ranks to help wipe out their own kind.”
“They do that?” Eyes wide with shock, I took a pretend sip and shook my head in disbelief. “Does it happen a lot?”
His frown deepened. Shit. Was I too obvious? Might be time to excuse myself to the restroom.
“You’re just fucking with me, aren’t you?” he accused.
I froze.
Then his drunken smile was back in place, and he pawed at me again. “You don’t believe a word I’m saying. You’re just having a laugh at my expense, aren’t you?”
Phew! Relief washed through me. “I might be.”
“I think it’s time to move this conversation to a bedroom.” Grabbing my hand, Seth tugged me along toward the closest door.
“Actually, I need to use the restroom first. I’d like to freshen up a little.” And find Dalyn. I was starting to think that the more questions I asked, the more Seth would make me do in order to get my next answer. Perhaps he was onto me, checking to see how far I’d go.
Not knowing how much he suspected, worry was eating at me. If The Circle wanted me to run interference on the street and pull off the occasional hit, sure, that was right up my alley. But this chess game of conversation, of patiently leading him into my trap without revealing myself, it was hell on my nerves.
Not knowing where Dalyn was or if she might be in trouble was worse.
“You can use the ensuite in the room.” Not giving me a chance to back out, Seth all but dragged me to the nearest door.
He threw it open and flicked on the light to reveal a basic but nice room, empty aside from a few of his personal items strewn about. Allowing him to close me in there while he tried to get my clothes off was not an option. I excused myself to the attached bathroom.
I locked the door and texted Dalyn. I didn’t expect her to answer but had to try anyway. Then I fired off a fast one to Rayne giving him a brief heads up on the situation.
When I emerged Seth held two fresh glasses, offering one to me. “Why don’t you slip out of that dress and get comfortable?”
The man wasn’t as sly as he thought he was. Because his back was to the mirror over the dresser. In his reflection I could clearly see the sharp wooden stake he’d stuffed into the back of his pants.
My cover had been blown. Or maybe it had never worked in the first place.
Knowing that I was about to make a mistake that might piss off The Circle of the Veil, I tried to talk myself out of it for about three seconds. Ignoring the drinks, I shrugged and said, “Sorry about this Seth. It really wasn’t in the plan.”
In a swift motion he never saw coming, I grabbed hold of him, hooked an arm around his neck, and squeezed, a choke hold Corr had taught me. Once Seth sagged against me, unconscious, I held tight a few seconds longer before depositing him on the floor. Both drinks s
pilled in puddles that seeped into the carpet on either side of him.
Working fast, I used his belt to restrain his hands behind him and another from a suitcase in the corner to bind his ankles. After tossing the stake under the bed, I stuffed a ball of socks into his mouth, dragged his limp form into the bathroom, and closed the door.
I slipped out of his room and descended the stairs. Time to find Dalyn and get the hell out of here.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Holding tight to the railing, I used it to keep from rushing to the bottom inhumanly fast. Or any speed other than a casual stroll. I’d rather not run in heels either as they weren’t my standard choice of footwear. Since the days when I’d been forced to dress up for the approval and entertainment of my husband and then my vampire sire, I preferred a badass boot with an even heel or a good, supportive running shoe.
Upon reaching the bottom I moved around the perimeter of the room, trying to go unnoticed. Where was my witch?
I could pick out Dalyn’s scent in wisps and fragments, mixed in with several other smells. Two dancers outside a closed door muttered in annoyance; that had to be another washroom. It was worth checking out before I tore the rest of the suite apart looking for her.
“Long wait?” I asked the dancers who appeared to be having about as much fun at this thing as I was.
One of them tapped a foot impatiently. “Feels like it’s been a while. I think someone’s fucking in there. Might be better to just go upstairs.”
Gently pushing my way past them, I pressed my ear to the door. Sounds of movement came from inside, muffled by loud music and the murmur of voices. Dalyn was in there with the Fed. I knew it. If anything happened, she could defend herself. Right?
Worry gripped me. Glancing over my shoulder at the dancers who drifted away toward the stairs, I broke the lock with a little telekinetic push. Then without hesitation, I shoved into the bathroom and closed the door behind me before anyone could get a glimpse inside.
And it was a damn good thing I did too.
The mess that greeted me stopped me dead inside the door, my back pressed against it. Automatically, I flipped the lock. Bright crimson painted the white floor tile. The air was thick with blood. Dalyn stood pasted into the corner of the small room, unable to take her eyes off the dead Fed and the gaping hole in his skull.
I reached for the fan switch on the wall next to the light and turned it on, creating more noise. “Are you ok? What the hell happened?”
“He was bragging about his job and what a bigshot agent he is.” Dalyn’s voice wavered. She inched away from the blood that seeped toward her fancy pink stilettos. “How being hired on for this city is considered a promotion. They’re looking for the best of their people. He got touchy feely but he was talking. I thought I could get more out of him, but he got aggressive. Wouldn’t take no for an answer. I tried to leave the bathroom, and he grabbed my hair. So I used a spell to throw him off me. But the wasted idiot fell and bashed his skull open on the counter.”
Dalyn stared uncertainly at the body. The corner of the counter next to the sink was stained red. Her clasped hands shook. I knew I shouldn’t have let her go off with this jackass.
The small confines of the room made the scent of so much blood especially strong despite the running fan. I had to get out of there. Although I’d fed recently, a small room hotboxed with the scent of blood and death had a way of getting under my skin.
A bang on the door behind me made us both jump. “Just a minute,” I called. “Someone’s sick in here.” That seemed to be enough to make the knocking stop. For now. To Dalyn I said in a hushed tone, “We have to get out of this suite.”
I pulled my phone from my handbag and texted Rayne to let him know we had a problem on our hands. Since he was our ride out of here, we needed him to be ready whenever we managed to make it back to the street.
“They’re going to fucking bust us,” Dalyn whisper shouted, tugging nervously at her hair. “How are we going to get out of here without them finding out who we are? There’s probably a line up outside the damn door.”
“I left a guy tied up in a room upstairs.” Reaching for Dalyn, I hooked her elbow and pulled her close, doing my best not to focus on the sound of her rapid heartbeat. “He knew what I was somehow. He was about to pull a stake on me. We have to go now.”
Dalyn couldn’t tear her wide eyes off the body on the floor. “I can’t believe that just happened. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”
“Fuck him,” I hissed, giving her a gentle shake. “He’s the enemy. We save ourselves no matter what. You have to keep it together if we’re going to get out of here. Ok?”
With a vigorous nod, Dalyn sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “Ok, I’m good. What’s the plan? Are you good? You look a little… off. Please don’t bleed me.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m not going to hurt you. The plan is to leave this room and head right for the door. Once we hit the hallway, we take the stairs and meet Rayne where we agreed. Got it?” When she nodded, I added, “Can you do any kind of spell to lock this door? To buy us some time before anyone comes in after we leave.”
“I don’t know. I can try.” She rummaged through her purse, pulling a leaf of some kind out of an inner pocket as well as a small clear crystal.
Setting both items on the floor next to the door, she recited a spell in Latin and snapped her fingers. The leaf caught on fire and quickly went out. Cupping her hands around the smoke, Dalyn used it to draw a wispy symbol over the door, similar to what Nova had done the night I first met him.
“I don’t know how long it will hold.” She cast one last glance at the dead man on the floor. A shiver shook her. “Let’s get out of here.”
Easing the door open the tiniest crack, I used my story about someone being sick to chase away the few people waiting. Once it was clear, the two of us slipped out and closed the door behind us. But not before I relocked it from the inside for added measure.
The party had started to thin out as people left for their own suites or grabbed a ride home. Plenty of agents still partied hard though. Enough that nobody noticed our dash for the door.
Or so I thought.
“Stop those two.” A shout rang out from the top of the stairs. Seth stood there dazed and angry next to the guy who had found him, pointing at Dalyn and me. “They’re supes!”
Without hesitating, I threw the door open, throwing the security guys at the door out of my way with a telekinetic slap. Grabbing Dalyn’s hand, I pulled her along behind me, intent on the stairs. Being trapped in an elevator right now wouldn’t help us.
Dalyn struggled to keep up as we both ran in ridiculous high heels. Since this wasn’t Hollywood, all it did was slow us down. “Get rid of them.” I kicked my own shoes off, snatching one up to fling toward the first few men out the door of the suite in pursuit.
Dalyn kicked her shoes off but wouldn’t abandon them. Carrying one in each hand, she sprinted barefoot down the hard, concrete stairway. I shoved the heavy door closed behind us and followed Dalyn down the steps.
Being sober with a head start gave us the advantage. Two dozen drunk Feds, all trying to fit down the stairs at once, didn’t go as well as they thought it would. One of them shouted to call for backup, and that got me moving faster. Once I sped ahead of Dalyn, I had to slow myself down. I’d never leave her behind.
A shot fired down the stairs ricocheted on its way down. I grabbed Dalyn and pushed her in front of me, blocking her with my body. Another shout followed, one man giving the other shit for firing blindly in a place filled with civilians.
“Keep going,” I urged Dalyn, frustrated with how much slower her human body moved.
“I don’t know if I can,” she panted, stopping to suck in a breath. “How many fucking floors are in this place?”
Above us heavy footsteps still clattered on their way down. Although it sounded like less of them now. Had some gone back to head us off another way? How far could so many wasted
Feds get?
“Too many. Keep moving. They’re still coming.”
Just as we rounded the corner to the next floor down, the door to the hallway burst open and two Feds spilled out. I didn’t give them a chance to use the weapons they held. Holding the railing for support, I kicked one of them solid in the chest. He fell backward, tumbling down the stairs to land in a broken heap on the next landing down.
“Go,” I shouted at Dalyn, pushing her on ahead. I turned on the other guy, smacking his gun arm down before jerking him close for a killing bite.
I didn’t wait to watch him drop. With the taste of his blood in my mouth, I ran down the steps after Dalyn. After making it a few more floors, I grabbed the next hall door we came to and jerked it open.
It was both silent and empty. Pulling Dalyn along as the poor witch struggled to keep up, I pounded the button for the elevator. “We’ll take it down a few floors and then get back to the stairway.”
Dalyn eyed the numbers counting down overheard. “Please don’t make me do anymore stairs, Blaze. Or you’ll be carrying me pretty soon.”
I used the brief few seconds of safety inside the elevator to check my phone. Nothing back from Rayne. That didn’t feel right.
We took the elevator to the third floor for Dalyn’s sake. “If you have any spells or anything you can use defensively, have it ready.”
She pulled a small black pouch from her purse, gripping it tight. “Got it.”
As the elevator slowed, I braced myself. But it opened on an Asian couple waiting for an elevator and nobody else. Together we hurried back to the emergency exit that led to the stairs. Peeking through the small rectangular window, I didn’t see anyone.
Ever so gently I eased the door open and listened. The sound of male voices echoed high up. It didn’t sound like they were still pursuing us but disappearing into a floor several stories above. They must have found their dead buddies.
When we made it down to the street, we emerged into a parking lot behind the building. No swat team of Feds awaited us. I could have cried with relief. Knowing they were on the way, we didn’t have time to hang around.