For creatures of the night, October in the Pacific Northwest usually meant shorter days and more time outdoors. Yet an hour after sunset, Black Ruby was already packed with vampires.
The windowless club was an elevator ride two stories down from street level, dimly lit and cool as a cave. With its exposed brick interior, wooden booths, and mahogany bar, it felt more like a friendly neighborhood pub than the sleek vampire hangout, but the things that went on here were anything but friendly.
Sitting alone in a high-backed stool at the bar, I scoped out the room. Most of the fang-bangers were huddled in dark booths with their blood slaves—some so pale and emaciated it was hard to tell if they were still human. The whole scene turned my stomach, but it wasn’t surprising. The port city of Blackmoon Bay was a hub for runaways and transients, which meant easy pickings for the powerful vamps.
Hell, I’d been there myself. Guess it was just dumb luck that when I’d washed up on these shores at eighteen, barely alive after two years on the run, I’d managed to avoid the vamp welcoming committee.
I’d gotten Ronan instead.
Calla would’ve called that a far worse fate, but then, she’d never trusted demons.
Darius set a cocktail napkin on the bar in front of me, bringing my attention back to the present. “Allow me to buy you a drink.”
“Is that an invitation, or a demand?”
Darius’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Depends on whether you tell me what you’d like, or force me to choose for you.”
I leaned forward across the bar and lowered my voice. “What exactly are we discussing tonight, Mr. Beaumont?”
“Darius. I insist.”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to sense that about you,Darius.”
His brow quirked, but the vampire didn't answer my question—just grabbed a glass from the rack above the bar and poured me a Jameson, straight.
He was making me sweat. Fine. As long as he didn’t make me bleed, I could wait him out.
I downed the drink, enjoying the burn of the booze.
Darius poured me another, then glanced toward the entrance, where a group of particularly menacing vampires had just emerged from the elevator.Richmenacing vampires.
He cursed under his breath.
“Problem?” I asked..
“Only in keeping my schedule straight. If you'll excuse me a moment—I’ve got a meeting.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
Darius shot me a warning glare. “I won’t be more than twenty minutes. Don’t leave, Gray.”
“Fine, fine. But if you’re not back in twenty, I’m out.” I shrugged and left him to it, nursing my second drink and trying to gather my thoughts.
Damn. The vamp had something on me now. Something major. Not that he’d use it—around here, the freaks might not like each other, but we damn well kept each other’s secrets. Our survival depended on it. Whether it was human cops poking to closely around our haunts, or other supernaturals looking to take over new territory, none of us wanted to bring scrutiny to the Bay.
Still… I didn’t like the fact that knowledge about what I’d done was out there. Vampires were immortal, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be tortured.
Everyone had a breaking point, and everyone had a price.
“Hello, sexy.”
I turned toward the slimy voice just as the vamp it belonged to slithered into the chair on my right, a muscle-bound blond with a nasty scar cutting down his cheek. He eyed me with obvious hunger.
I opened my mouth to tell him I was with someone else—anyoneelse—when I sensed another vamp taking the chair on my left. This one was a skinny, emo-looking dude with greasy black hair and way too many piercings.
Scarface wrapped a hand around my thigh and leaned in close. “I never tasted witch before,” he said.
His eyes glinted with ice, colder and more deadly than the eyes of any vamp I’d ever tangled with. It was a struggle not to cower or turn away, but showing weakness now would activate their predatory instincts faster than an outright threat.
