Page 7 of Blood Magic

I tried not to stare as she hurried me along, but I couldn’t help it. It was just so busy. And bright. And more amazing than anything else was the fact that the “room” we walked through was a large, echoing hall. The house was huge—but it had been glamoured. Anyone who happened by would think it was just another house.

People stood in little groups talking, a big screen TV blared at one end of the hall while on the other end were couches, chairs, a fireplace, and another TV. It was bizarre and looked nothing like one would think from viewing the exterior. Most of the walls on the main level had been knocked out to make one enormous hall, and despite the brightness, the noise, and the TVs, there was a distinctly dark vibe to the place.

Jennifer was a human, and likely much more than Axton’s assistant. Possibly she was his human servant. The vampires could completely trust their human servants, but I highly doubted they were going to allow regular humans inside the front doors.

Unless, of course, those humans were controlled by sheer terror, which I could definitely understand.

Jennifer led me to a private room at the back of the hall, and as we walked, we picked up two men. They weren’t armed, probably because they were vampires and didn’t need to be. Not against me.

A little healthy fear added itself to the knots of nerves tying up my stomach, and I casually brushed the handle of my blade, giving myself a dose of courage. But when we got into the room, one of the vampires shut the door and the two of them watched me quietly.

It was a small room and held a closet, a table, a bench, and some lockers. There were no windows. Two of the four lockers had open doors, and Jennifer went to one of those, pulled the door all the way open, then once again smiled at me. “You will put all your weapons in here. I’ll bring you back to fetch them when you’ve finished your visit.”

I didn’t want to. I didn’t mind handing over my other knives or even my gun—but my demon blade…

“This stays with me,” I told her, after I’d unloaded everything but the blade.

“All of it.” Her smile was firmly in place but there was an edge to it that told me she was in no mood to argue. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it back.”

“It’s just a single blade.” I crossed my arms. “Surely your master isn’t afraid of a girl with a knife.”

She narrowed her eyes and said nothing, but the two goons by the door took a couple of steps forward. “Oh come on, guys,” I said, moving so I could face all three of them. “Of course I know what Axton is. I’m working a case that involves him and his people, and I need to ask him a few questions. That’s all.”

“Still,” Jennifer said, her smile a little less friendly, “if you want to see him, you’ll put the fucking blade into the fucking locker.”

No way in hell was I taking a chance like that. “Can’t do it,” I said. “Back away, Jennifer, so I can get my fucking weapons out of the fucking locker.” I grinned at her, but I’m sure my smile was just as fake as hers.

She shook her head and glared at me, but she backed up, watching me as I grabbed my shit from the shelves and began sticking them into my belts and sheaths. “By the way—do you happen to know of a human named Brenda Ferguson? It’s her disappearance I’m looking into. I’m going to take it up with law enforcement once I leave here since you people are so uncooperative. If there are any certain preparations you need to make to get ready for a couple of cops—who, I can assure you, will not be putting their fucking weapons into your fucking locker—then I suggest you get them done in a hurry.”

They continued to stare at me, saying nothing, indecisive.

I slung my kill kit strap over my shoulder and looked at the two vampire goons blocking the door. “Move out of my way, boys.”

They tensed, I tensed, and I was pretty sure we were going to fight and dammit, I did not want to shift and leave my blade unprotected, but I didn’t think I’d have a choice in the matter.

Then Jennifer held up a hand. “He wants to see her,” she said, her voice empty but anger and something else in her eyes. “Take her upstairs.”

Shit.

I was about to meet the vampire county master, and I was beginning to wonder if I’d make it out of there alive—or at least unhurt.

My guess was…no.