by Deanna Chase
Minnie gave me a flat stare then jerked her head toward a door that read Employees Only. “This way, new girl.”
I fell into step beside her.
She held the door open for me and followed me into the dank hallway. Once we were in the small dressing room, she took a good look at me and shook her head. “Didn’t you bring anything to change into?”
“Um, no. I was planning on wearing this.” I opened my coat and flashed her my short silver dress.
She rolled her eyes. “Newbies.” Waving at a rack of barely there lingerie, she added, “Pick something from these loaners, but make sure you put it back when you’re done. And those shoes… They have to go.” She crossed the room and opened a cabinet. “Size?”
“Six.”
She rummaged around while I rifled through the shoddy outfits on the rack. There was no flipping way I was borrowing anything from the other girls. All I had to do was wait for Minnie to leave and I’d slip out to the edge of the stage and spy my vamp.
“Here.” She spun around and handed me a set of clear plastic shoes. “Why aren’t you dressed yet?” Minnie stalked over to the rack and yanked out a sequined tube dress. “Here. This is close to what you were going to wear.”
I held it up to my torso and wondered how it was going to cover my tits and my crotch at the same time.
Minnie tugged my coat off and had the zipper down on my dress before I even registered what was happening. “Nice blade,” she said, sounding impressed. “You comfortable enough to use that if someone rolls up on you?”
I rewarded her with an audacious grin. “Wouldn’t carry it if I wasn’t.”
Respect flashed in her knowing gaze as she nodded. “Good for you.” Then she eyed my ass with an appraising look. “You’ll want to keep an eye on that G-string. You wouldn’t want it to walk away on its own. “
“Walk away? You mean the patrons might swipe it?” I shuddered, thinking about some random dude pressing his face against the scrap of fabric.
“Them or one of the other girls. The expensive stuff seems to always get swiped.”
“Um, gross.” If I’d thought some dude sniffing my used panties was disgusting, the idea that some other woman would wear my ass-crack floss made me want to gag.
“You said it, sister. Now put that thing on and go shake your ass.” She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for me.
I shimmied into the tube dress and stepped into the clear, six-inch platform shoes.
Minnie let out a sigh and pounced on me, doing something to quickly tame my wet hair. She stepped back and eyed me critically. “Not exactly ready for a centerfold shot, but you’ll do for a round on the stage.” Her eyes narrowed in on the blade still strapped to my thigh that the tube dress was doing nothing to hide. “Gonna keep that thing on?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation even as I eyed my coat, my fingers itching for my sun agate.
“Just be sure you don’t stab yourself while sliding down that pole.” She grabbed my hand and started tugging me toward the door. “Time to get on stage.”
“Wait.” I twisted out of her grip and ran back to my coat. Once I had the agate in my hand, I stuffed it down my bra, knowing full well there was no way I’d be exposing myself no matter what Minnie and the club bouncer thought. All I needed was the element of surprise and that vamp wouldn’t know what hit him.
“Come on. Hurry. They’re waiting.” Minnie pushed me out the door, and I found myself in a small alcove, barely hidden by the stage’s curtain. In fact, a few of the patrons on the far side had already seen me and one of them stuck two fingers into his mouth and produced an ear-splitting whistle. What the hell had I been thinking? This was in no way an advantage to scouting out the vampire. In fact, I was basically trapped. I either strode out onto the stage where I’d be on full display—in more ways than one—or I made a small scene and ran back into the dressing room.
Better to play the part. If the vampire knew a tracker was after him, he’d never believe I’d show up as a stripper. Taking a deep breath, I strutted out on the stage, swaying my hips to “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent, grateful the song wasn’t a faster rock number. It was much easier to strut around the stage making jerky pelvic motions than it would’ve been if I’d been expected to actually, you know, dance. I took my time scanning the club. Plush seats lined the stage and the walls while linen-covered tables filled in the center. There were expensive-looking chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and the floors were lined with wall-to-wall carpet. It was a far cry from the sticky floors and plastic chairs one would find in most of Bourbon Street’s strip clubs.
I grabbed the pole with one hand and whipped myself around, pausing for just a moment in time with the music. The action allowed me to study a tall man in the back of the club. He was in the shadows, making it difficult to make out his hair color, but he was distinct from everyone else, his movements more graceful and his presence commanding. There was no doubt in my mind he was my mark. And he kept eyeing the front door as if he was waiting for someone.
Was he waiting for his next meal to walk in, or had someone tipped him off I was coming for him? The song continued on and I made ridiculous jerking motions, some of which seemed to resonate with at least a couple of people in the front row because dollar bills had been laid down on the stage. I knew that meant I should give them some individual attention, but that wasn’t happening. I wasn’t getting paid enough for this shit.
I did, however, decide they deserved a little more pole action before the song ended, and I put my considerable athletic skills to the test as I leaped forward and used only my arm strength to climb to three-quarters of the way to the top. Then I wrapped my knees around the pole and let go, bending backward so that my head was pointed straight down to the floor. I was just about to let myself slide down, using only my legs to stop me, when my goddamned sun agate fell right out of my bra and bounced across the stage, its light shining like a fucking beacon.
There was a loud gasp as all the supernaturals in the room recognized the artificial sunlight. Half a dozen newbie vamps screamed and ran for the exit. But not the vamp I’d identified at the back of the club. No, he was staring at me curiously, then he stepped forward into the light, revealing his bright red hair, a small, satisfied smile on his full red lips.
“Shit!” This was some sort of a setup. There was no doubt in my mind. I grabbed the pole with both hands and let myself quickly slide to the stage. My eyes stayed locked on the vampire as I hurried over to grab my agate. But as soon as I reached for it, one of the patrons grabbed it and snarled at me.
Shifter. A mean one too, judging by the snarl on his face. He held it up, showing it to me. The sunlight had faded, but the agate still glowed. “Look what I found. Since you didn’t show us those sweet tits of yours, I think I’ll just keep this little gem.”
“Keep?” I scoffed, my hands digging into my hips. “I don’t think so, wolf. Hand it over, or I’ll kick you in the balls so hard you’ll be choking on them.”
“Feisty.” He leered, his lips turning into a predatory smile. “I like the ones who fight back.”
“Then you’re gonna love the shit out of me.” I jumped off the stage and kicked out, hitting him right in the chest with my clear plastic stripper shoe.
He fell backward, and both of us hit the floor, knocking tables and chairs over. The collision bothered neither of us, and in seconds we both rolled and landed back on our feet.
“Ready to hand it over, or do you want me to make good on my promise?” I asked.
His eyes narrowed and he made a show of stuffing the agate into his front pocket.
“Wrong move.” I charged him, ducked a blow and went for his knee, just a quick jab. Then when he was off-balance, I went in for the kill—one brutal blow to the groin. He fell over sideways with a guttural groan. I pounced, stuffed my hand in his pocket, and retrieved my agate. “Try not to throw up,” I whispered into his ear. “You wouldn’t want to
be stuck with a cleaning bill.”
I stood up, scanned the awed faces, and winced. So much for undercover stealth. My eyes met the redheaded vamp’s. An amused expression flashed over his face for just a moment before he winked and vanished out a side door.
“Son of a…” I darted back onto the stage and bolted for the door back into the dressing room. Hunting a vampire was one thing, but doing it in stripper gear was entirely another. I hurried over to where I’d left my clothes and let out a curse. My dress and jacket were gone, but my phone was resting in the sole of my ankle boots. I stuffed my feet into them, grabbed the phone, and without further thought, I took off after the vamp, still wearing my barely there turquoise tube dress.
For once, Bourbon Street was mostly deserted. Even intoxicated party-types weren’t much for braving the rain. Luckily for me, the storm had died down to a drizzle. Still, I was barely dressed and freezing my ass off. No matter. I had a vampire to catch.
I stopped just outside the club, tightened my grip on the agate, and pictured the redheaded vamp in my mind. Warmth spread from the agate, and a tiny buzz tickled my palm. He was definitely still around, closer than he should’ve been, considering I’d been made. Any other vamp would’ve hightailed it out of the neighborhood. Or at least one who knew what was good for him.
This one didn’t. He was close. I moved to the right, and the vibration in the agate intensified. A pleased smile claimed my lips. After Willow had retired, I’d been determined to figure out some sort of vampire-detection tool. And thanks to a drop of Willow’s blood and one of my spells, we’d managed to do just that. Because of her and that spell, I’d become the most successful vampire tracker in New Orleans.
My boots clamored on the sidewalk as I moved at a steady clip, making no move to indicate I knew exactly where the vampire was hiding—across the street, one building over, on the second story. I kept moving, certain he was watching me. I had two choices: one, stride right into the building, giving up any element of surprise, or two, circle the block and see if he followed me. If not, I’d find a way up onto the roof and go from there. I was just about to opt for door number two when the damned vampire strode right out onto the balcony and whistled.
He actually whistled, intending to get my attention.
What the hell was this? Some elaborate game of cat and mouse? Arrogant prick. Not one to back down, I stopped dead in my tracks and stared up at him. “You ready to get your ass kicked?”
“I can hardly wait.” He flashed his fangs and jumped up, climbing to the next level and then onto the roof. He took off running, hopping from roof to roof, but his movements were slow. Much slower than a normal vampire’s. He was taunting me.
And really pissing me off. Whatever game he was playing, I wasn’t at all interested. The tube dress was doing nothing to keep me warm, and my stomach was starting to rumble. I’d had enough. Moving to the middle of the street, I raised my arms in the air and shouted, “Come get me vampire. I’m waiting for you.”
He stopped, laughed, and stepped off the roof, his body floating effortlessly to the ground. His eyes flashed a brilliant green as he moved toward me.
Holy fuck. What he really that stupid? Or… son of a bitch. I held the agate straight out in front of me and cried, “Siste!”
Brilliant white light lit up the street and slammed into the vampire’s chest. He stumbled back, paused for just a moment, and then resumed moving forward.
“Balls,” I muttered, not at all surprised he’d been mostly unaffected by my sun agate. Normally a blast like that would put a vamp out for hours, giving me enough time to call in the cleaners from the Void. But his obvious self-confidence combined with the strange cat and mouse game he was playing meant he wasn’t afraid of me. And there was only one other vampire in New Orleans who didn’t give me a wide berth at all times—Eadric Allcot. If this vampire was as powerful as the leader of Cryrique, I had my work cut out for me.
“Phoebe Kilsen,” he said. “It sure is good to see you out here tonight.”
“Oh? And why’s that?” I asked, judging the distance between us, surprised that Bourbon Street was suddenly deserted. Or maybe I shouldn’t have been, considering a witch and vampire were facing off, both of us displaying powerful supernatural forces. If I could just get close enough I had confidence my paralyzing spell had enough oomph to at least give me a chance to neutralize his ass.
He glanced down at his watch. And when he looked back up at me, his expression was sinister. “It means that pretty soon that phone clutched in your hand is going to ring, and then your world is going to crumble.”
What the hell was he talking about? I didn’t have much of anything to lose. My job was just a means to an end. That left the people in my life. Dax could take care of himself, which meant— I let out a sharp breath and said, “Tal and Willow.”
Satisfaction flashed in his eyes. Suddenly I couldn’t breathe. Tal and Willow. This piece of shit had something planned for the only two people I loved. An ache formed in my gut and quickly morphed into pure rage as my phone rang, the sound eerie in the quiet night.
The vampire’s throaty laugh made something snap inside me, and instead of reaching for the phone, I lunged for him. My fingers barely scraped his cold skin before he leaped out of my grasp, landing a good ten feet away.
Knowing it wouldn’t incapacitate him, I flung my hand out again and aimed the agate at him. This time I felt the word deep in my gut and repeated, “Siste!”
The light blasted him, bringing him to his knees. And when he hit the asphalt, I was already on him, both hands wrapped around his throat. Pure hatred radiated from his eyes as he stared up at me, motionless.
“Never mess with a Void witch or the people she loves,” I snarled and squeezed harder, not that it would do any good. He was a vampire for Christ’s sake. It wasn’t like he needed to breathe, and crushing his windpipe was completely useless. But it made me feel better to inflict any bit of pain on the piece-of-shit vamp.
“You can’t kill me,” he ground out, his words barely audible.
“Maybe, maybe not, but I sure as hell can make you suffer.” Then in one swift movement, I grabbed the dagger from my thigh and stabbed him right in the gut. He went limp and fell over, completely paralyzed.
I scrambled off him and reached for my phone. It had stopped ringing, but a text had popped up. It was from Dax indicating to call him ASAP. I hit his number and the second he answered I said, “It’s Tal and Wil. They’re missing, aren’t they?”
His voice was tired and weary when he forced out “Yes.”
3
The wait for the cleaners to arrive was pure torture. The moment I ended the call with Dax, I placed a call to the Void, requesting backup. They needed to apprehend the vamp, and since my dagger and I were the only things preventing his rising from the dead, I couldn’t leave until they arrived.
Pacing, I worried my bottom lip. Who could’ve taken Tal and Willow and why? The why was pretty simple. Willow had a special power that could turn vampires into daywalkers. Every vampire hive in existence wanted that ability. Allcot had been doing his best to keep her secret under wraps since Willow had accidently discovered her ability by turning one of his vamps. But secrets like that had a way of spreading like wildfire.
He’d made it known Willow Rhoswen belonged to him and that anyone who came after her or her family would suffer a fate worse than death. I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but knowing Allcot, it involved some sort of heinous torture.
If Willow hadn’t been so vulnerable to the vampire community, she’d have never accepted his offer of protection. But when choices are limited, everyone does what they have to in order to survive. So far no hive had been willing to test Allcot’s warnings. None until now.
It was bad enough the Cryrique vamps were on the verge of war with the shifters. Now there was a rival vampire hive blatantly defying Allcot’s orders. If Allcot managed to find them, it was going to be a goddamned bloodbath. Hell
, it’d be a bloodbath if I found them.
A few brave tourists made their way into the street. They were hesitant as they craned their necks, trying to see if it was safe to gawk at the staked vampire. A tall blonde met my eyes, and I honestly had no idea what she saw there, but whatever it was, it seemed to give her courage. She stepped forward, her head bowed. Then she sank to her knees beside the vampire and started to pray for his soul.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I muttered, thoroughly annoyed. “What makes you think he has a soul?”
“Everyone does,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Even if it’s hidden.”
“This one doesn’t,” I snarled and grabbed her arm, yanking her up. “Don’t you understand? He’s a vampire. And if my spell stops working and he wakes up, what do you think is going to happen when he sees your creamy neck right there just waiting for the taking?”
She stiffened, her shoulders rigid and her lips tight.
“He’s going to sink his teeth right into you. If you’re lucky, you’ll survive. If you’re not… Well, these few moments you have right now, getting your chance to see a vampire up close and personal, are likely to be your last. Vamps who wake up from a magically induced coma usually are starving.”
“Is that… um, likely?” she stammered. “Waking up before you release the spell?”
I shook my head. “No. But it can and does happen, especially if they’re powerful. And this one is, so get the hell out of here, all right?”
Her hand flew to the hollow at her throat, and she began to slowly move backward. She kept her eyes trained on the redheaded vamp, fear in her eyes.
Okay, so I was being a tiny bit melodramatic. He was highly unlikely to wake up before I removed my dagger. But the last thing I needed was a circle of tourists gaping at the vamp. They could get their fill of actual vampires at any number of clubs around the city if they were brave enough to frequent them.
After Hurricane Katrina blew through over a decade ago, parts of the city were taken over and revitalized by vampires. Mid-City was full of them as well as much of Frenchmen Street. In my opinion, the vampire infusion had been as much a blessing as a curse. They had helped restore New Orleans when the rest of the country seemed to forget about the town, but they’d also brought danger, death, and deception. For those who never mixed with vampires, it was easy to pretend nothing was amiss. But when a vampire had someone in their sights? All bets were off. The vampires of New Orleans, and more specifically Eadric Allcot and his hive, could be ruthless, and they stopped at nothing until they got what they wanted.