Tish doesn’t offer a reply right away. She knows when she needs to give me space. Once my breathing returns to normal, she speaks again. “I’m glad you didn’t kill that Good Samaritan. He was cute. It’d be such a waste.”
I roll my eyes. “Not all pretty faces deserve to live.”
“True, but he saved your life… well, he would have if you were human.”
Not wanting to think about that man anymore, I say, “I’m ready to go into the club.”
“Good. I didn’t sign up to spend the whole evening in this stinky alley.”
Squaring my shoulders, I take a steadying breath and venture out of my hiding spot. This time, I look both ways before crossing the street. Despite my attempt to forget my savior, I search for him in the crowd. I don’t see him anywhere, so he either left or he’s already inside.
Forget about him, Sophie.
There’s a long line outside the club and it’s not moving at all. I doubt I’ll get in if I wait for my turn. Not happening. I didn’t wait two months to finally be able to move freely only for my first night out to be a bust. I walk straight to the bouncer at the door.
“Hey, there’s a line!” a woman complains.
The bouncer looks me up and down and, sneering, says, “You heard her. Back of the line, girlie.”
“You’re going to let me in. I’m on the list.” I force my will into my words, using the power of compulsion common to all Blueblood vampires.
Like magic, the bouncer’s gaze becomes unfocused, and he relaxes his stance.
“Of course. You’re on the list.” He steps to the side and lets me through.
Inside the club, there’s another line to check coats, but I’m only wearing a leather jacket and prefer to keep it.
The background music is loud, and the club is dark, but I can pick up distinct bits of conversation if I concentrate, and I can see far beyond what human sight can. The modern music grated on my nerves in the beginning, but after suffering through it thanks to Tish’s insistence, it doesn’t bother me anymore.
It’s fairly crowded in the club, which is probably why the line outside wasn’t moving. Surprisingly, being in a jam-packed room doesn’t trigger me, even when I get bumped by people trying to move past me. I suppose my problem is only on an individual basis—if someone grabs me out of the blue.
Once again, I search for my savior. In my panic, I didn’t pay close attention to how he looked. I only remember his sincere green eyes. Now I’m curious to see if Tish was right.
“What’s the plan?” she asks, but this time, she remains hidden.
“We walk around and keep our eyes peeled and our ears open. Maybe we can gain some intel.”
“It’s not like I can see much from inside your purse, but I don’t sense any vampires in the vicinity.”
“Me neither.”
I don’t tell Tish, but now that I’m here, I’m not sure what I want to accomplish. Hoping to hear gossip about Lucca’s whereabouts will be like finding a needle in a haystack. I guess I just needed to get out of the house and experience this new world in person before I can actually formulate a solid plan. In theory, as a Blueblood vampire, I’d be able to enroll at Bloodstone Institute and find the secret room where they’re keeping Madeleine Boucher. But since we don’t want anyone to know about my connection to my father, that’s not a route I can take.
The background music cuts off abruptly, and the crowd grows quiet. There’s a sudden rush of excitement in the air, bouncing off the walls. The lights on the stage change as theband members get into their positions. It’s still fairly dark, until a man with purple hair stops in front of the microphone and a spotlight shines on him.
“Good evening, everyone. I hope you’re having a good time. My name is Nathan, and we are Second Time Around.”
They start their first song, and the crowd goes wild, whistling and hollering.
“Oh, I wonder if they’re famous,” I mutter.
“Doubt it. They wouldn’t be playing in a small venue in Salem if they were. Plus, they’re a cover band.”
“What’s that?”
“They don’t play original songs, only popular music by other artists.”
“The crowd seems into them.”
