Page 36 of Blood Magic

“I can’t believe that they wouldn’t know already,” I said, my voice as expressionless as his.

“The Council and their representatives police every coven in the United States, Ms. Silver. They do not know things automatically. They must be told. Clinton County coven is not large, and we are not on their radar.”

“If Axton succeeds in his quest to control humans,” Joe growled, “I bet you’ll be on the council’s radar real damn fast.” Then he shook his head. “I miss my blissful ignorance. Vampires.” He shook his head again.

“Okay then,” I told Bastien. “Tell me how I can reach someone, and I will call them right now.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that easy. I have a number that I can give you, and it will get you to someone who can talk to someone who can talk to someone…” He shrugged. “Eventually your message will reach someone higher up. Maybe that person will call you. Maybe, if they’re interested enough, they’ll show up on your doorstep. There are no guarantees, but it’s a start. And it’s the only one we have.”

“That sounds like a lot of red tape and politics,” Joe grumbled. “You’re a hunter, Kait. Grab your machete and your stakes and take the bastard out.”

I snorted. “I wish it were as easy as that. Bastien, you don’t happen to know where Axton will be sleeping tomorrow, do you?” I didn’t wait for his reply, as I already knew the answer to that question. “I can’t just go in and take him out when he’s awake. His people would kill me before I got close. I’m good, but…”

“But no one is that good,” Bastien finished.

I nodded. “I’m going to have to track him, find his resting place, and kill him while he sleeps. And right now, that seems pretty damn impossible.”

Lesser vampires could be caught because they didn’t have the protection Axton had. They liked to party, too, and they could be found in clubs looking for a donor or for a girlfriend or boyfriend they could “date” regularly, though not many humans would be fooled for long.

If Axton succeeded in his efforts to go beyond the shading, then anything could happen.

Bastien leaned forward. “Stake out Scarlett’s,” he murmured. “Of the master’s clubs, it is his favorite. Sometimes he goes there to…” He shrugged. “He may be there tonight, or he may not enter the club again for weeks. Eventually, though, you will find him there.”

I slapped my desk, causing Joe to jump. The vampire, however, never so much as twitched. “You could have led with that, Martel.”

“I do not believe you will be admitted into Scarlett’s. If you are…” He hesitated. “The vampires are aware of what you are, Ms. Silver. Scarlett’s is not safe for you. And it will not be any easier to get to the master there than it would be if you attacked his home.”

I narrowed my eyes. “There’s another reason you’re reluctant for me to take him out at Scarlett’s. What is it?”

For the first time, his stare wavered. “If there is a battle at Scarlett’s, Frederick Axton is not the only one who will get hurt.” He shrugged. “It is more than likely he is not the one who will get hurt at all. But there are others there who will. If you go in, it will get bloody.”

I understood. “There are people inside you care about.”

He stood. “Scarlett’s is a special club. There are more vampires inside than humans. It has long been considered one of our…safer places. I want to see Frederick stopped before he destroys us all, but that does not mean I am not a vampire. Once you infiltrate Scarlett’s, it may cease to exist. That will be a black night for all of us.”

He walked out, leaving me staring silently after him.

Joe walked to the window. “Is he a good guy or—”

“No,” I said. “He’s a fucking vampire, Joe. There are no good guys when it comes to vampires. They eat humans. Their brains don’t work like ours. They live too long and see too much to be good.” I sighed. “He wants our help to take out Axton, but you can bet he has a bigger motive than protecting humans and worrying that the world will discover vampires are real.”

“What can be bigger than that?”

“I don’t know. But don’t ever trust a vampire.”

“Trust them? I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that they exist. Doesn’t matter what I saw.”

“Understandable. I’m surprised you’re not curled up in a corner sobbing.”

He frowned. “You see me as the type of man who would sob? What the fuck, Kait?”

I waved a hand. “Not literally, Joe.”

He only glared.

“Anyway,” I said, eager to change the subject before I insulted him further, “I’m going to have to start visiting Scarlett’s, let them get used to seeing me.”

“As the vampire said, apparently they know you. They’re not letting you in.”