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I took a drink and then said, rather glumly, “It’ll take more than one glass to do that.”
“Which is why I have left the bottle uncorked and waiting on the table.”
“You think of everything.” I moved across the room and sat down. “How did the research go?”
She wrinkled her nose as she claimed the chair opposite. “I found a couple of mentions of soul eaters in one of her books, but there’s nothing of a specific nature. I’ll dig some of her older books out of storage. I did uncover some interesting facts about your man ghoul, though.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Like what?”
“Like the fact they don’t share the blood of their masters, but
rather their energy.”
“So they’re some sort of zombie?”
“No, because they’re alive, and zombies are dead.” She took a sip of her wine. “From what Gran noted, a thrall is created in a magic-based ceremony that involves the swearing of allegiance and consuming a bloody piece of the vampire’s flesh.”
A shudder ran through me at the thought. “Why flesh and not blood?”
“Because eating the flesh, when combined with magic, makes master and thrall one. He’s given eternal life in return for eternal service.”
“Which is not something I’d imagine most sane people would ever contemplate.”
She shrugged. “I suppose it depends on who your master is. Maelle seems sane enough—for a vampire, at least.”
“Or she’s simply putting up a very good front.” I leaned back in my chair and swirled the wine around in the glass. “She all but admitted she’s capable of quite powerful magic.”
Belle frowned. “You don’t think she’s behind the murder last night, do you?”
“No, if only because the woman who was with Aron last night was one of her feeders, and Maelle’s seriously pissed about her now being dead.”
“Do you think their deaths are connected?”
“Yes, though I have no idea how. Marlinda obviously wasn’t a soul eater, given Maelle is alive and well.”
“Presuming, of course, vampires do have souls.”
“Even if they don’t, I suspect Maelle has enough magical nous to sense that Marlinda was no longer present in her flesh.”
“Which means the soul eater must have killed Marlinda before it feasted on Aron.”
“Aron wouldn’t have looked like he’d simply gone to sleep if he’d witnessed his companion being murdered.”
“True.” Belle finished the remainder of her wine and then topped up both glasses. “More research is required, it seems.”
“I might do that while I’m waiting for Aiden to arrive.” I paused and glanced over at the clock. “Aren’t you meeting with Zak in ten minutes or so?”
“Yes, but we’re only going over to his place to watch some movies, so he’s getting my regular fabulous self rather than the dolled-up version.” Her grin grew. “Of course, my normal self is more than most men can handle.”
“Amen to that, sister.” I clinked my glass against hers. “So, have you progressed beyond the city pad yet?”
Werewolves, we'd discovered, either had their own place or a place they co-owned with others in order to get around the severe restrictions placed on non-werewolf lovers entering pack compounds.
“No, and I'm unlikely ever to be invited into the inner sanctum, given we’re only casual.”
“And you’re human besides.”
“That too.” She shrugged. “Their loss, not mine. You want me to bring down some books, or are you going upstairs to wait for Aiden?”
