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“Normally, witches wouldn’t get them back. Using magic to gamble is severely frowned upon.” He scowls.
“I didn’t use magic, though.”
“You weren’t relying on intuition to tell you when to bet more or less, when to stay, when to ask for another card…”
“I was just guessing.” I cross my arms. “My powers are… limited. Basic, even.”
Kian doesn’t believe me, but I believe myself. I’ve got no spare magic, nothing hidden out of reach. I’m completely ordinary. Minus the random teleporting I’m still trying to figure out.
The vampire misses nothing. His gaze turns contemplative, more like we’re a puzzle to be hammered out than nuisances in his office. He’s unnaturally still on the couch across from us.
“I could tell you for certain. About your power.” His grin is wicked, and his fangs slide back down. “I’ve got quite an affinity for magical components.”
That’s tempting… but his teeth in my throat is definitely not tempting. My heart beats faster, and I swallow hard. I’m not in a cell anymore, at Sonia’s disposal. I’m not Gage’s captive. I focus on the thread of magic inside me, grounding myself to it. We’re so high up, I almost can’t connect to the earth at all.
I’m not in cuffs.
Kian wouldn’t let the vampire hurt me.
“I’ll pass,” I manage. “And we didn’t know we were staying in your hotel. Do you have a problem if we stay the night?”
“Are you going to disrupt my customers or swindle me out of more cash?”
“Well…” I frown. “I’ve never been here before, so I don’t know. I hope not.”
Beau pauses. “You’ve never been to Vegas?
“No. Actually, I haven’t really had any experience in a city as large as this one. Or any city.” I nudge Kian. “He was kind enough to offer to take me to see it. But most of my time has been spent in small towns or in no towns at all.”
It hits me—not for the first time—how isolated I was growing up. My mother didn’t want me coming into contact with anyone she couldn’t account for. I didn’t go into town on days when strangers would be rolling through. I stuck to a few friends in town and her, and that was it until I got the job at the local newspaper. But my circle stayed small out of fear. Even in college, I kept things predictable. After a while, the few friends I made stopped calling.
Beau and Kian share an indecipherable look.
“Okay,” Beau finally says.
“Okay?” I crane back and meet Kian’s gaze.
To my frustration, I can’t even read his expression. And it seems like I’ve been getting a little better at that nowadays. Except right now. It’s a blank slate.
“For a price,” Beau clarifies.
Kian seemed to expect that because his gaze ticks to me.
The vampire wants my blood.
“I…” I stand and move away from them.
Sonia took my blood and my magic over and over again. The thought of more teeth in my skin sends a shudder of revulsion up my spine.
“It would unlock some mysteries about you,” Beau says. “Which I’d be happy to share…”
“How much?”
He shrugs and examines his fingernails. “Just a pint or so.”
Kian growls. “So much?”
“Fine, a swallow or two.”
