Page 35 of Blood Magic

Chapter Fourteen

I wasn’t sure what we could do against the county master. But I did know one thing. I had to stop him if he was shading the humans. And I had no reason to believe that he wasn’t. Sara Simon had told me exactly what they were doing. Paul Ferguson had told me, as well.

What I needed was a supernatural…cop. “I guess you’re it, girl,” I muttered. But I had no power over the vampires. I could tell them what to do all night long. That didn’t mean they were going to listen.

Lucy arrived at the office at two-thirty on the dot. She flirted with Joe, but only a little. She was too nervous about the upcoming appointment at the tattoo shop.

“Oh my God,” Max said, when he found out she was getting a tattoo. “I have five tattoos. After you get one, you’re going to want more.” He looked at me. “Let me take her.”

“That’s up to Lucy,” I said.

“Do you want me to take you?” he asked her.

She shrugged. “If you want to. I’m going to be scared shitless either way.”

He took her arm. “I know it’s scary, but once they start, you’ll relax—I promise. I was afraid for my first tattoo, as well.”

“Really, Max?” she asked.

“Uh-huh. I was thirteen, and—”

“You were thirteen!” Their voices faded as they walked from the office, and I swear, Lucy seemed less scared already. I texted Max the directions to Kassandra’s shop, then texted Kass to let her know someone else would bring Lucy in.

I texted Max a reminder to talk to Lucy about the serial killer, as well. This was not the time for her to be going to bars and picking up dates. She might find herself picking up a murderer.

I’d planned on heading to Alexandria to visit the county master’s place, but for the next two hours, there was a steady stream of visitors to the office, and Joe and I had our hands full.

Nearly all of them wanted their houses cleansed, but there were a couple who were only curious and one who asked me to tell her fortune. Joe sent her on her way, but nicely.

And as I’d figured, by the time things calmed down, it was dark. Well past dark, actually. Lucy and Max returned, and Lucy was all smiles as she showed me the small anti-possession tattoo Kassandra had placed right below her collarbone.

“And Max was right,” she said, happily. “I’m already thinking of getting another.”

Joe and I were on the sidewalk heading toward my car when the vampire we’d dug up appeared suddenly in front of us. I automatically reached for my demon blade, and Joe tried to insinuate his big body between me and the dead guy. “Joe,” I hissed. “Stop doing that.”

The vampire’s face was completely blank and his eyes were empty, but he looked a thousand times healthier than he had the night before. He’d been a good-looking man when he’d turned, though I had trouble seeing anything but the way he had looked as he’d flung himself at me, trying desperately to feed on my blood. And I could not stop my shudder.

He noticed, of course he did, but his expression never changed. “We should talk.”

I nodded. “We can talk in my office.” I turned and walked to the building, but not until he was at my side. I did not want him at my back. Joe strode behind us, and after we went into my office and shut the door, he stood against the wall, his fingers casually brushing his holstered gun.

I made a mental note to give the man a couple of stakes.

I sat down behind my desk and gestured for the vampire to sit in one of the two chairs in front of it. “My name is Kait Silver,” I said. “This is Joe Patrick.”

He gave Joe a nod before putting his eerie stare back on me. “I am Bastien Martel. Thank you both for freeing me.”

“You’re welcome. There was a girl who asked me to help you. She said you could tell me what’s going on with the master. That he’s shading humans.”

“Her name is Farrow, and the master is doing more than shading,” he said. “He is learning to mind-control humans.”

I nodded. “That’s what I was afraid of.” I studied him for a moment, then, “The question is, how do we stop him?”

“You must go over his head.”

I leaned forward and clasped my hands on top of the desk. “The Council? I wouldn’t know the first thing about how to contact one of them.”

He shook his head, and his long, dark hair, silky and shiny, fell over his slender shoulders. “Nor would I. But there are representatives. I cannot go to them because Frederick would stop me before I got near them. But you can. You can bring them in.”