Chauffie looked away, head down while Renald spoke through a clipped voice. “Low blood borns are kidnapped and taken to warehouses for bloodletting parties. The victim is used for their blood, restrained from what I’ve heard, and cut open frequently to keep their blood flowing. The people at the party drink from the victim for a couple of days, then they let them go.”
I looked at him, horrified. “How long has this been going on?”
Renald looked irritated, but Chauffie responded in pure anger. “The aristocrats don’t give a crap what happens to us low blood borns.”
I turned to Chauffie, shocked at his words and tone. He was clenching his fists at his side, glaring at me. Checking himself, he turned away from me, head down to the floor. I turned to Renald. He was incredibly displeased.
“Odessa’s father said something about her possibly being kidnapped for a bloodletting party.”
For the first time, Chauffie let off a string of swear words I had never heard, not only from him but in general.
I could tell, even in his subtle way, Renald was getting angry too.
“What do you know about these ‘parties’?”
“Unfortunately, just whispers and rumors, sir.”
I turned to Chauffie quickly. He met my gaze and shook his head. “Because we work for a high blood born, we are looked on as outsiders even from our own kind.”
Dammit!
“Who would know any of this?” I ran both hands down my face roughly.
“Possibly……?” Renald sounded hesitant.
My head snapped up to meet his apprehensive expression. “Possibly who, Renald? I need all the options I can get right now. I need to find her!”
He sighed heavily. “Possibly, Onyx Trudeau might know something.”
I paused, shocked for a moment.
Yes! Onyx. Why didn’t I think of him. He knew more than anyone appeared to in the vampyr society, and he had made movements in places no one else had.
I snatched up my phone quickly, flipped through a contacts list book on my desk, and quickly dialed his number.
The phone rang a few times, ramping up my anxiety more and more.
Please answer.Please.
“Hello, Onyx Trudeau at your services.”
That greeting threw me off for a moment. Onyx sounded every bit the suit. He was confident and firm in his greeting.
“Mr. Trudeau, Devareaux Hautbois. I hate to bother you under the circumstances, but I need your help. It is quite urgent.”
A long silence on the other end before he responded with, “Mr. Hautbois, how may I help you?”
I was a bit annoyed with his formality right now, but I pushed through. “What do you know about bloodletting parties?”
Silence.
Mr. Trudeau’s voice came through the line with a harder edge to it. “And why would you ask me that, Mr. Hautbois?”
I hesitated, then just spilled all of it out. “I need your help finding my wife. I believe she may have been kidnapped and taken to one of these…...parties.”
Grounding out, “And why would you think that?”
“Odessa is a low blood born, and she was…...uhhh…….staying…….in her flat.” I paused. “In the low blood born section.”
