We Own the Night (The Night Songs Collection Book 3)

by Kristen Strassel

  I realized that was completely untrue as Noah caught my eye, squatting down in front of me, looking at me like he was Jesus and I’d been placed in front of him at The Last Supper. As I always did around him, I felt naked and filthy, and fought the urge to run as far away as my legs would take me. I hissed at him, feeling the heat rise and I knew my eyes must be glowing. The people around me gasped and stepped away as much as space would allow. For a second, I was mortified, but then I realized that was exactly what I wanted. It was just the wrong people I’d scared.

  It didn’t take long for my bubble to fill in. Someone moved out of Melanie’s shadow, and jumped down next to me. The other female vamp. In my Blade/Noah/Ryder/Melanie haze, I’d forgotten all about her, but she hadn’t forgotten about me.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, incredulous.

  I nearly laughed in her face. “Checking in on this disaster, I mean, the new venture.”

  “This doesn’t have anything to do with you.” She smiled at me, wide and fangy, obviously thinking I was an idiot.

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever this—thing—is,” I motioned towards Noah. His eyes lit up and he fell to the ground, grinding in front of me. He looked more like he was auditioning for a porno than singing a song. “--has everything to do with me.”

  “Soul Divider wouldn’t follow you out of Hell.” The vamp laughed in my face. I wanted to throw her across the room, but I’d already made a scene, and we were drawing more interest than was probably good for us away from the stage, fangs bared and eyes alight. “I’m more powerful than you, Callie. So isn’t Blade. The whole city is starting to realize it. You’re nothing.”

  “That’s bullshit. You don’t scare me. I don’t even know your name.”

  “It’s Rachel.” She leaned in close. “And I don’t mind being called Mistress.”

  Blade emerged through the crowd and wrapped his arm around Rachel. “Don’t tease the animals, sweetie.” He glared at me as he pulled her in. Jealousy twinged in my chest, watching his hand move up and down her arm as they disappeared in the swarm of people.

  Maybe Blade had a new girlfriend and would forget all about trying to torture me. But wasn’t she with that other guy in the band? We all knew how Blade felt about sharing his girlfriends with musicians.

  Alright, so this placed sucked. Big surprise. The energy in the room was all wrong and I felt dizzy. Time to go. I fought my way through the crowd, hissing at drunk tourists that wouldn’t get out of my way. I found Tony at the bar. I didn’t blame him one bit for drinking on the job tonight. He didn’t ask any questions about what happened. It didn’t take a genius to figure out my plan had been a disaster.

  I stopped on the sidewalk for a minute, letting the gaudy neon light wash over me. The giant clown on the sign across the street welcoming all to Circus Circus beckoned me. I’d always thought that clown looked evil. Now, if nothing else, I knew it held the secrets of Cash Logan.

  Evil it very well may be.

  “What time are you working until tonight, Tony?”

  “Sun down to sun up.” He raised an eyebrow. Tony had to belong to the Vegas Mafia. How else would he wind up with a gig like this? But yet, there was something fatherly about him. As much as I hated being assigned a babysitter, I didn’t want to be left alone when I least expected it. “Why? Aren’t you going to meet up with Tristan after the show?”

  “We live together. We’re not attached at the hip.”

  “It would certainly make my life easier,” he sighed.

  “You wouldn’t want to be around when we’re attached.” I laughed when Tony blushed. “Come on, let’s go across the street.”

  He looped his arm for me to put mine through and we weaved our way through the sidewalk traffic to the crosswalk. “The boss is going to hate this.”

  “He’s your boss. Not mine.” I had to keep reminding people of that. “We’ll be back to the Alta Vista before Tristan has a chance to get into any trouble.”

  But how much trouble would I get in by then?

  I was glad I didn’t need to breathe anymore, because walking under the awning of Circus Circus, oxygen fled and desperation rushed in to take its place. Gone were the cute girls that swarmed the Alta Vista, or the rocker guys from Riviera. In their place were shabby looking tourists with unruly young children, looking sickly and tired in the orange glow of the building, pissed that they had somehow screwed up their vacation so royally and wound up here.

  I needed a minute to adjust to this place. The low ceilings and old school gaudiness made the walls feel like they might close in at any minute. Brand new signs led us to the All New Cirque Macabre featuring Cash Logan. They looked obscenely out of place in here.

  “How long has this show been in town?” I asked.

  “A long time,” Tony said, his hand still on my back. Did this place creep him out as much as it did me? Was it the big clown sign? “But it was pretty low rent entertainment for years. I don’t know why this guy took it over.”

  Interesting.

  “Do you know anything about Cash?” Had I overlooked my best resource all this time?

  “He had a TV show for a long time, based out of New Orleans.” Tony stopped to check his cell phone. “I’m not surprised he’s a vampire, because a lot of his illusions looked awfully familiar. He can levitate, move quickly, and he’s really strong and cunning. The general public has no idea what they’re seeing. It’s funny that the community got so up in arms about Immortal Dilemma when Logan’s been shoving it in people’s faces for years.”

  Good point. “But instead of pretending to be a vampire, he was pretending to be normal. I guess that’s okay.”

  Tony left me to pick up our tickets at the box office. Inside the theater had a whole different energy, like a long overdue cup of coffee would feel. Man, I missed coffee. I even missed making coffee for other people. The things you’d never think you’d long to do again once it could never be an option.

  It looked like we’d stepped right back into the Alta Vista. Young girls dressed in black frills and boys in makeup milled around the lobby. Some of them caught my eye, looking for an invite to approach me, but I looked away quickly. Guys who looked like that did nothing but get me in trouble. Industrial music blared from tinny speakers. Tarot readers, face painters, jugglers, and mimes dotted the room. I’d never actually been to the circus; my mother refused to bring me because of the way the animals were treated. I didn’t think we’d see any animals here, and I was really excited about the show. I’d had no idea what to expect, but this certainly hadn’t been it.

  Lennon emerged from the crowd and ran over to me, wrapping me in a hug. She was a lone ray of sunshine in the room, radiating with her blonde and red hair in a retro updo, fastened with a flower, and her citrusy perfume pushing away the cigarette smoke. I was so relieved she was that happy to see me, I didn’t want to let her go.

  “I thought I’d see you across the street at the other show.”

  She shook her head. “I just can’t do it. All I can think of is Jacey when I hear Noah sing. I mean, I probably shouldn’t be here either, but Cash’s just got this spell over me, doll. It’s never been like this before. He barely talks to me at the bar, but I can’t get him out of my head.”

  I shrugged. “Magic.”

  Lennon fanned herself. “I can’t wait to find out,” she laughed. “I can’t believe after all these years I’m acting like some sort of crazy groupie.”

  “Cash wants to help me.” I motioned to Tony. “Why don’t we all get our seats?”

  “He does?” Lennon grabbed on to my arm. “What did he say?”

  “Well, he wants something from me too.” I frowned. “He didn’t say what.”

  “God, anything he wants, I’m on board with this one.” Lennon practically skipped as we made our way to our seats. We just had regular admission, nothing special. Only a few people in the crowd did double takes when they saw me. Most of them had no idea who I was without the context of
Tristan. “Are we going to go talk to him?”

  Good question. “I don’t know. I had no idea I was doing this tonight.”

  “It’s not like he’s going to refuse the Mistress.”

  “Don’t call me that!” I’d rather the whole word called me Calliope than one person called me Mistress.

  “It’s not a bad thing. You don’t have to be Talis, you can be you, and people will respect that. Don’t think you have to fill her shoes. Just get cuter shoes, doll.” Lennon was always my voice of reason.

  As the bleachers filled in, I sat and thought about what Lennon had just said. Was that my problem, that I was trying too hard to be something I wasn’t? I wasn’t scary, and I probably never would be. I didn’t want to be. But it didn’t mean I couldn’t make decisions that benefited the clan and the people who depended on us for their livelihood on my own terms. First, I had to start making those kind of decisions for myself. And talking to Cash was the first step in the right direction.

  Distorted accordion music pumped through the PA system, signaling the start of the show. A spotlight trained on a walkway, lit up with birdcage lanterns. Clowns that looked more like supermodels, with long lanky bodies, traditional face paint, crazy hair, and skimpy carnival appropriate costumes strutted down the walk way. They had choreographed their walk to the music, stopping and spinning sheer veils around their bodies on their way down and back. Was this a fashion show or a circus?

  The music changed, softened, and a woman came out, singing in a language I didn’t understand. I didn’t need to know what the words were to sympathize with the emotion as a lithe girl in a leotard came out on to the stage and wrapped herself into long strips of fabric that had fallen from the ceiling. She climbed the fabric effortlessly, tangling herself in the strands and then flipped her body upside down, confident that the fabric would hold her. She sat up with the same ease as if she was in a chair, and climbed higher in the sky. Hanging upside down, she covered herself with the silks like a superhero cape. Her strength and grace were breathtaking, as she tumbled roll by roll back down to the ground.

  The theater went black. The next performer strutted out in dim light to a bluesy, yet hard hitting soundtrack, wearing a top hat, corset, and fishnets. She spun around the pole that had replaced the silks in the middle of the stage, sliding down to her knees, tossing her top hat and pulling off her gloves with her teeth as she danced. She picked up batons and dipped them in the flame pots at the edge of the stage, twirling them and tossing them, not the least bit afraid of burning herself. Even safe in the tenth row, I shrank back into Lennon’s side. Not many things made me weary, but fire certainly did.

  When the music changed to wailing heavy metal, the performer swallowed the flame and blew it out, letting it drip down and engulf her skin.

  “Holy shit.” I clutched Lennon’s arm. “How can she do that?”

  “I don’t know,” Lennon whispered. “She must have some sort of protective suit on, or it’s an illusion. Otherwise, she’d be dead.”

  We continued watching her dance, climb and twist her body around the pole, a fiery figure, until she flipped her way over to the side of the stage, and everything went black again, including the flames.

  The first intermission couldn’t have been more perfectly timed. Everyone needed a break after that performance. As the smoky lights came up on an empty stage, the entire theater sighed with relief in unison.

  A man who looked like a carbon copy of Tony came up the stairs towards us. He must have been a member of the Tony wheelhouse since they exchanged those lifted chin nod acknowledgements that is some guy sign language.

  Tony rose, spilling his popcorn all over the floor and on the lady next to him. She started to bitch, but he silenced her simply by raising his hand. “Let’s go, ladies.”

  Lennon rambled so fast I couldn’t understand a word she said. Now, instead of trying to lose Tony, I was trying to keep up with him, chasing him through the unfamiliar hallways backstage at the Cirque Macabre with Lennon close on my heels. He seemed to know his way around here. I wasn’t sure if I could let my human-speed guard down, and I liked to act as human as possible around Lennon. We’d had enough differences lately.

  “Slow down,” I finally said to her. “I love you, but I’m not here to play matchmaker right now.”

  “Oh, I know.” She actually needed to catch her breath. “I’m just going to try to linger after you take care of business. Then I can take care of business.”

  “Knock yourself out.” We headed downstairs. How big was this place? “Tony, do you have any idea where we’re going?”

  “We’re here.” He pulled out his phone and put on his glasses before he punched a code from the screen into the lock pad. Like giving a secret handshake, the door magically opened.

  Lennon latched on to my arm, muttering that she couldn’t see anything. I don’t think Tony could either, he used the flashlight app on his phone to guide the way. I had that advantage, but still I didn’t see Cash. The walls were black with blood red accents in a burnout fleur de lis pattern. All the wood was black lacquer, shining in the silhouette of the wall torch lighting. It looked like flames coming from the walls. I knew that couldn’t be real, but remembering the girl just moments before who seemed to combust, I shuddered. Plush maroon furniture matched fabric gathered in the corners of the windowless room.

  A truly stereotypical vampire lair. So where was the vampire?

  “I’m right here, Mistress.” Cash laughed as I jumped. Other people reading my mind would always be freaky, even though I liked to do it to pretty much everyone around me. Having someone read my mind felt like someone broke the lock and climbed in the window. Now that I followed the pull as he read from me, I found him in the corner, his black leather jacket blending in against the leather bindings lining the bookshelf behind him.

  “Thanks for having us. Wait, were we invited? I don’t even know what I’m doing here.”

  Cash snapped and the lights automatically brightened enough to see Lennon and Tony visibly relax. He jumped over the back of the couch and settled, legs spread, as if he did this all the time, then motioned for all of us to sit. How very Tristan of him. I hoped he didn’t do it for the shock value, since it was lost on me. I knew Lennon loved it. Tony took one of the high back chairs flanking the couch. I took the other. I figured I’d let Lennon sit on the couch with Cash. Give her a chance to work some magic of her own.

  “Yes. I wanted you here.”

  “I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds by just showing up at the —“

  Cash held his hand up. “We sell tickets to the show. We want people to come.” He smirked, making the sides of his beard rise. “Stop apologizing for foolish things. It doesn’t make you much of a leader.”

  “Are you a part of this clan?” As far as I knew, no one took a census.

  He rolled his eyes and leaned back, his arm extending back on the couch in the direction of Lennon. Her face brightened and she ever so subtly scooted towards him. She didn’t even notice or care he that was laughing at me. Little Miss One Track Mind. I could forgive her. Did I ever know what it was like to get distracted from reality.

  “I haven’t followed another vampire since the French American War. Talis and I never saw eye to eye on anything, and we split early on in our vampire lives.”

  “How did you know Talis?”

  “We have the same creator,” Cash explained. “But I never followed that whore. That’s what she was, you know that? A common prostitute. She betrayed me, Callie. No one does that. She locked me away because she couldn’t stand the thought of a fair fight. Once I broke out of there, I made it my mission to destroy anyone who has the gall to deceive me.” Cash turned towards Lennon, with a faraway look in his eye. She batted her eyelashes, inviting him closer, but he didn’t move. Something about the exchange made me shudder. “She wasn’t much older than you when she was created. So don’t sell yourself short.”

  “So are you trying to take over t
his clan?” I got it, he’d hated Talis, and had something to prove around here. But he still hadn’t made it clear what that was, especially with Talis gone. “Because if you are, you might as well talk to Blade and join his little revolution.”

  Tony raised an eyebrow at me from the other side of the room. Like anyone had to tell me I was pushing my luck.

  Cash remained unimpressed. He examined his fingernails on the hand that wasn’t touching Lennon’s shoulder. “I thought about it. Talis thought she was invincible. I stirred up some trouble with that band that’s now playing across the street, Soul Divider, but no one really paid any attention. Then I found out that someone took out Mistress de Rancourt. A brand new vampire.” He snorted. “Now that was worthy of my attention.”

  My mouth dropped. So the things I’d accused Melanie of doing, Cash was responsible for. I’d divided the clan and aligned myself with a volatile wild card for all the wrong reasons.

  Cash continued, registering my shock. “Blade appears to have some special powers that I haven’t seen in generations.”

  “Which are?”

  “He manipulates fire.”

  “Like the girl that just performed?” I don’t know if I’d ever get that image out of my mind.

  “She’s not one of us. Technically,” Cash said quickly. “I have to decide what to do with this Blade. I could use him on my side.”

  I counted to ten and tried not to pass out. This was a trap, and as usual I walked right into it. “I can’t help you with that.”

  “That’s what you think.” He leaned forward, both elbows now resting on his knees. “You’re the clan leader. You need to help me reign him in, or help me destroy him.”