Blood Magic by Laken Cane

Chapter Fifteen

Joe got into the back seat without me having to ask him. He knew that neither of us would want Remy Simon at our backs. And Remy didn’t argue about us taking my car.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“We're going to a club called Scarlett’s,” I told him. “It’s one of Frederick Axton’s favorite hangouts. It’s not likely he will be there tonight, but I want to start staking out the place.”

“You’re not going in?”

“I might walk in just to see if I’m thrown out or if they decide to play nice despite who I am.”

“Can’t hurt to take a chance,” Remy said. “I’ll go in with you. They might not mind visitors, as long as we don’t cause trouble. Although,” he said dryly, “they’re going to know we’re hunting as soon as we walk into the place.”

“They already know I’m hunting,” I told him. “I paid a visit to Alexandria a couple of nights ago. The master invited me in.”

I didn’t take my stare off the road though I could feel him watching me.

“And how did that work out?” he asked, finally.

“She punched Axton in the face,” Joe said, unable to help himself.

“He’s not one of my fans,” I said, “but I think he might be curious enough to tolerate me. At least for a while.” I hesitated, and I wasn’t sure why, but finally I told him about Bastien and the girl, Farrow.

“I killed a few of them,” he said, “but I have never dug one of them up to talk to them.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”

He laughed, and it sounded genuine. But really, I doubted anything Remy showed me was real. He was locked up as tight as anyone I’d ever seen, including myself.

I had good reason to hide. I supposed he did, as well, though I doubted he was anything other than a trained, angry human. He’d never know what it was like to have to hide what he was because the humans would find him unacceptable.

I drove us downtown to Scarlett’s, and we sat in the car for an hour, scoping out the place. The place was busy, no matter what night of the week it was. Two bouncers stood outside the front entrance, and every time the door opened, we heard a blast of music.

Finally, Remy opened his door. “Fuck it. I’m going in.”

Joe and I did the same. No way were we staying put while Remy went inside the club. Or, at least tried to go inside the club. I had a feeling the guards at the door were going to put up a fuss and try to keep us out. I did not believe they would succeed.

“Remember,” I said. “Do not go inside to cause trouble. Don’t get into a fight, and for God’s sake, don’t shoot anybody.”

“Sure, sure,” Remy said. “We just want to see what’s going on in there. Maybe talk to a few people. See how many vampires we’re looking at.”

“Would you know a vampire if you saw one?” Joe asked skeptically.

“Yeah,” Remy told him. “I would.”

I eyed him. “I can’t even tell a vampire from a human most of the time,” I said, “at least not when they’re putting effort into disguising themselves.”

He shrugged. “Why would you? I’ve been at this a long time. I have a talent for spotting the bastards.”

“Look,” I told him, as we neared the bouncers. “I know you want to kill them all for what they did to Sara. But there’s a time and a place, and this is neither. We need to find out more about this…super shading, and I need to find Brenda Ferguson. Behave in there tonight.”

“Ms. Silver, I know how to handle myself. I’m a hunter, not a two-year-old.”

“I wonder if Axton knows we’re onto him,” Joe said.

“Probably,” Remy and I said at the same time.

We walked up to the bouncers, ignoring the line of people waiting impatiently. One of the bouncers held up his hand. “Sorry, folks. We’re filled to capacity. No one else can go in right now.”

Remy smiled. “I’m sure you have room for us.”

The bouncers were big. Huge. But somehow, I knew they wouldn’t stand a chance against Remy—let alone Remy and Joe. Or me, if it came to that.

The bouncers pulled guns.

“Whoa,” I said, stepping back, hands up. “Joe, Remy, let’s go. We’ll come back another time.”

“I don’t think so,” Remy said. “I feel like dancing.”

Bastien appeared suddenly, as though he’d been standing in the shadows watching for us. Surely he’d known I was going to show up. He was the one who gave me the name of the club, after all.

“Both of you,” he said to the guards, his voice calm, “Put the guns away.” He didn’t wait to see if they obeyed him before he turned to me. “You can come inside.” He jerked his head at Remy and Joe. “They can’t.”

“We’re coming in,” Joe said, grimly. “I’m not letting her go in there without someone at her back.”

Remy folded his arms and stared the vampire down, and there was a distinct gleam of hatred in his eyes. He really could spot a vampire. He knew what Bastien was. He said nothing, however, just waited to see how it would play out.

“I will have her back,” Bastien said. He took my arm and led me to the doors. He didn’t turn around to see if Joe and Remy stood still—he knew they didn’t. He stopped at the doors. “I can have three dozen guards out here in fifteen seconds,” he said. “I do not care what you’re armed with or what you think you can do. I promise you, they will put you in the ground.”

“Guys,” I said sharply, turning to face them, “Go back to the car. I’ll be out in ten minutes.”

And finally, they did as I asked. I didn’t know for how long I could trust them to stay put, but for now, at least, they were listening.

“You should not have brought them here,” Bastien said, but whatever else he said was lost beneath the crushing music when he opened the door.

“I don’t get it,” I shouted. “Vampires have sensitive hearing. How can you bear this noise?”

“There is a quieter place,” he said, almost smiling. “Only those with passes go below, and it is much more vampire friendly.”

“He’s not here tonight, is he?”

“No. If he were here, I would not be.”

“What does he have against you?”

“My inability to follow blindly. My disregard for authority. And my refusal to believe that he is infallible.”

“So he punishes you. Does he know you’re no longer in the ground?”

He didn’t answer me. “Come. I would show you something before your two companions grow impatient and ignore their orders to wait for you outside.” He led me through throngs of people—dancing, drunk humans—and I spotted the girl, Farrow, sitting on a table in the corner watching us dully. I lifted a hand in acknowledgment, but she didn’t smile or wave or even change her expression. But she watched us until we were out of sight.

“Frederick is not the only one involved in the attempt to control humans,” he told me as we walked. “But if you take him out, the others will fall.”

Bastien looked different tonight, and I didn’t want to think that it was because he had recently fed. But I knew he had. He had an energy about him that had been missing earlier when he’d been in my office. He had more color in his face, his eyes were bright and sparkly, and unlike Farrow, he seemed almost happy. And that was weird, considering, from what I’d heard, that vampires had lost the ability to feel joy long, long ago.

“Who are the others?” I asked.

“I do not know. The only reason I know Frederick is involved is because he is the county master. Nothing goes on here, at least where the vampires are concerned, that he does not know about. No one would dare experiment on humans, or create such a power, without coming to him for permission first.”

“You don’t think that he is the one who created this…thing?” I asked.

“No, I do not.”

“Come on, Bastien,” I said. “You have to know something.”

“There are many who surround him,” he told me. “I cannot know which ones are guilty.”

“Why do you care so much?” I looked at him. “I mean, don’t you want the vampires to rule the world?”

“The vampires would not rule the world,” he said. “They would simply die. Though we are hunted and despised by those who know we exist, and though our depth of pain would be unimaginable to a human woman, the status quo is as it should be. This is not the type of change we should champion.”

I nodded. He was right. I just hadn’t expected him to admit it. “You never gave me the phone number I’ll need to call the council.”

We had left the loud club and now walked down a long quiet hallway. At the end were double doors. He pushed them open after pressing his palm to a keypad, then led me down a red-carpeted stairway.

When we reached the next landing, he stopped walking, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his phone. “Your number?” he asked.

I hesitated.

“It would be good if I had a way to contact you should the need arise,” he told me, his voice, as usual, holding no expression.

I gave him my number, but reluctantly, because fuck. I did not want the time to come when I was exchanging texts with a vampire.

“Do not worry,” he told me, smiling a little. “I will not casually text you.” And then he texted me.

I yanked my phone from my pocket and glared at the screen.

Hello.

“Not funny,” I said. But I was surprised. The vampire had a sense of humor. Who would have thought?

Five minutes later we were entering an underground club. This was the real Scarlett’s. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to be here. As a matter of fact, I was sure that I didn’t.

“Why am I here?” I asked.

“Because you are afraid of the unknown. Because I want you to know my world, this world, a little better. Because when you kill Frederick Axton, I will be the one to take over. I will be the county master. And I would like for you to be my human ally.”

Well son of a bitch.