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He turned to face me then. His skin was deathly pale, and I sucked in a startled breath as his incredibly dark eyes met mine. “And what makes you think I’ll answer them? Who are you to come into my club and ask anything of me?” His handsome features remained hard, unreadable.

“I’m nobody, and you probably won’t, but I’m going to ask anyway.”

He tilted his head to the side, that dark gaze moving over my body slowly, taking me in from head to toe before returning to my face. His gaze lingered on my cheek. “You misunderstand me, witch. Who are you? You made the effort to come here, to pretend I hired you, then do actual work for the last hour. I know why you’re here, there’s only one reason a witch would invade my sanctum under a guise right now, but you are a confounding creature, and I find you have piqued my curiosity.”

He knew why I was there.

Dread slithered down my spine. Maybe coming here wasn’t such a great idea. I reached out with my magic. Not a shifter either. Like the guy at the bottom of the stairs, I didn’t know what he was, and the realization that he could be behind all of this hit me like a brick upside the head.

There was a darkness rolling off him that I’d felt before, but I couldn’t place it. I’d met a lot of different kinds of demons in my life, but I’d never met one like him. He was powerful, and I would guess, very old. I didn’t feel an evil vibe coming from him, at least I didn’t think so, just…void. The male was cold, like a reptile.

No, a dragon.

The kind of creature who could kill you in one breath, then walk away from your bleeding corpse and never think of you again. The last thing I wanted was to pique this monster’s curiosity.

But the way he was looking at me now—I knew it was already too late. And with a male like this, lies would only make him angry or murderous. Either didn’t bode well for me.

So I decided to go with complete honesty. He’d already said he knew why I was there, the same reason I’d been compelled to drive to Lorenzo Leone’s house. “Three witches have gone missing, and all three of them were seen at your club the night they vanished. What do you know about that?”

He didn’t move, not one bit. It was disturbing how still he was. “Are you accusing me of something, little female? Brave as well, I see, or perhaps stupid?”

“I’m not either of those things. I’m here, in the…dragon’s den, because I have to be.”

“You think me a dragon? How delightful.”

He didn’t look delighted. “So…do you know anything?”

“You have no sense of self-preservation, how interesting,” he said mildly.

“Oh, I assure you, despite evidence to the contrary, I’m fond of the whole living and breathing thing, and I would never purposely offend you.” Whatever the hell he was. “But I do need to find out what happened to those witches. If I don’t, my family suffers. So here I am, putting my neck on the line because I have no other choice, because I’d do anything for them. So, if something or someone here at this club had anything to do with the disappearance of those witches, I need to know.”

“I had a family once. I’m sure I loved them as well,” he said, that frigid gaze wide and still locked on me. “I can’t remember what they looked like anymore.”

Okay, not old, ancient. “I’m sorry.”

“You can’t miss what you can’t remember.”

“I guess not.”

“I don’t know what happened to your friends. Witches aren’t to my taste these days. My palate is more refined,” he said and grinned.

And I couldn’t stop my startled step back, then several more. Fangs, and not like Draven or the hounds, these were sharp and long and pointed, made to pierce skin with precision, not tear shit apart.

Vampire.

He was a vampire.

I knew they existed, obviously, but I’d never met a full-blooded one myself. Only Ronan, and he was half-human.

“And if I want a female, I don’t have to kidnap her—she comes to me willingly, enthusiastically,” he carried on, as if I hadn’t just propelled myself across the room to get away from him. “But, perhaps, I could make an exception for you? You do intrigue me so.”

I ignored that last part and asked what needed to be asked. I had one foot already out the door, but there would be no getting away if he chose to come after me. If he wanted to drink my blood, he would. “So, you’re telling me, you know nothing? That you’ve seen or heard nothing?”

“I know a lot of things, and I hear and see almost everything, but nothing that would help you in your little quest.”

Okay, he was difficult as well as arrogant. “Would you allow me to see your security footage? Something either happened to the females here, or someone followed them when they left. I’m positive of it.” The markings the mother had given me still tingled, telling me I was on the right path.

“You will not have access to any part of this club. If you would like to see my bedroom, however, I would be more than happy to accommodate you.”