Page 37 of Call of the Blood

“I’m not in a place to be accepting guests. And I’m not sure I want to do this in yours. A third-party neutral location, Henry.”

“I can give you that,” he said softly. “I’ll see you there in an hour?”

“I can do that. If I’m late, it’s because I’m new to L.A. I’m not going to stand you up.”

“Then we’ll make it two hours from now. I’ll see you there.”

I hung up. Goodbyes seemed… personal, friendly, professional. I didn’t care to do any of that for Henry.

A text came through quickly, and I got ready. Nearly an hour away, I was grateful he pushed the meeting time because it gave me time to do a little bit of research on the place. It was a high-end restaurant, but much of it seemed obscure.

I texted Alexius, hoping he got back to me.

Is this place good?

He got back to me in less than a minute.

Very. Serves vampires. Private. Expensive. Use my account for it and call ahead. Going alone?

I had to make a decision. Alexius was being intentionally cagey with me about what he was doing with Maria, but was that a dumb enough reason to hide Henry from him? Or did I just want to handle my uncle myself? Was that good enough?

Did I care if he would be mad at me for hiding this?

Right then, no. I didn’t.

Yeah. Treating myself after the drama of recent days, and it seems like a nice place.

I made the call right after that, quickly explaining that I needed a last-minute private room for two, adding who I was and what account the bill would go to. Alexius didn’t have an open tab or anything, but the person on the phone knew who I was referring to. I told them the other vampire would be a Henry, and that was all. With everything confirmed, I put the phone away, ignoring Alexius’s final text, ‘Something like that’. Since I had just fed, there wasn’t much I could even do at a restaurant. I could chalk the visit up as research. What did restaurants do for vampires except offer an atmosphere?

The drive wasn’t smooth, but I did get there on time. Somehow. I nearly got in three accidents on the way, and I was nearly certain none of them would have been my fault, but in the madness of the traffic, I couldn’t be sure.

I was nervous as I handed my keys to the valet. This place was valet parking only, and I learned quickly Henry had called ahead. Either he had an in, or he name-dropped someone. I wasn’t taken in the front door from the valet. Instead, I was shuffled into a side door, where a lone man waited. Human.

“Miss Abbott, welcome. The rest of your party is already here. Would you like to read the waiver about costs?”

“I just need to know when you charge me,” I answered. He held out a small tray, so I pulled out the black card and dropped it there.

“You’ll get this back when you leave,” he promised. “Follow the young lady to your room.”

The hallway was dark, light peeking out of the private rooms, but it was almost impossible to hear anything. There were a few things working against me. The music in the hall and the main restaurant was louder than I thought it would be. Second, it seemed like the walls were thick with soundproofing insulation. Perhaps magic was involved from there to make sure they really provided the privacy they promised.

Finally, a door slid open, and there was Henry sitting alone at a table. The room was outfitted for fine dining, and under different circumstances, it could be romantic. The lighting was soft, and the natural tones, with the soft amber glow, were intimate. With Henry sitting there, it wasn’t that type of intimate, but I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of Alexius in a place like this. How he would lounge back in his chair, filling the room while tucked into a corner of it, the lighting making his dark eyes seem like they were whiskey and wicked thoughts.

But it was Henry there, so the thought of Alexius passed quickly as I met his eyes and found my seat.

“Two things before I go. There’s a button in the center of the table. Hit it if you need any assistance, like if you would like to put in your order. Also, please remember, violence on these grounds isn’t tolerated.”

The woman left, and there was a heavy silence in the small, private room. I thought of the button location, center table between us. If someone got slammed onto the table, the chance of hitting the button was high. They’d know if a fight broke out.

“Private enough?” Henry asked, smiling at the space like I wasn’t pondering how many ways to get into trouble without the staff knowing or scanning the room like a paranoid criminal.

“Yeah.” I clicked my tongue, realizing he had given me exactly what I asked for. I had to pay for it, but I wouldn’t have known about the place if he hadn’t recommended it. I stared at him, taking him in. He and my dad looked somewhat alike. Over the generations, many things were lost. But it was in the shape of the nose, the line of the brow. Some things stayed. If my dad were in the room, you’d think they were cousins or half-siblings. Maybe even actual brothers. Maybe.

“It’s been a long time,” Henry started when I never filled the silence. He leaned forward in that casual, friendly way when someone is just talking to a loved one or close friend, believing the personal space between them was a space they were allowed to occupy due to familiarity. “How are you? I’ve been wondering⁠—”

“Where were you?” I asked, cutting him off when it was clear he wouldn’t offer an immediate explanation for the years past.

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