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She frowned a little. “There is much to see and try here. Are you certain you don’t want to share?”
“He is mine,” I repeated.
“Greedy. ” But there was a twitch of amusement. “You really are Sig’s. ”
This startled me, but I said nothing about it. “May we pass?”
“Is someone stopping you?” She and I watched each other warily for a moment, and then Nolan and I skirted around her and towards the staircase, followed by her last words, “Have fun, warden. Play nice. ”
When we were almost at the bottom of the iron staircase, Nolan had his first meltdown. I was impressed he’d held it until then, so I let him have it.
“Whatswrongwithyoureyes? Whatsawarden? Whydidsheletyouin? And what the fuck do you mean, I’m yours?” He had the common sense not to raise his voice above a tense whisper.
I grabbed him by the chin, and we stopped our descent.
“What I’m about to tell you does not leave this building, do you understand?” His eyes grew wide with fear, but he nodded. “I don’t just work for Keats. I report directly to the vampire council. ”
His pulse quickened even as color began to drain from his face. He tried to pull away, but I was stronger. That seemed to scare him as much, if not more, than my proclamation.
“I am still the same vampire-slaying, demon-hunting girl you had so much respect for back at the bar. I’m just not a vigilante. ”
“But you’re one of ’em,” he choked out.
“I will never be one of them. That much you can be certain of. ” There was a hint of regret in my voice, but I doubted he would be able to contextualize it. I dropped my hand away from his face. “I told them you’re mine because under council law it means no other vampire can touch you. It means you’re protected. ”
“Is it permanent?”
I wasn’t expecting that, as far as questions went. “Unless another vampire petitions me for you, you will always be mine. At least in the eyes of the council. ” Honesty. It felt nice to not lie to him.
He nodded tightly and began to descend on his own. “I guess if I have to belong to someone, it may as well be a tight little blonde. ”
At the bottom of the stairs we passed through a heavy curtain and into the darkened grand ballroom. The ceiling swelled thirty feet up, with old tin-roof tiles polished to reflect the candle-lit sconces, which were the only light in the room. Red beads were draped on the walls and over other objects, giving the illusion of bejeweled blood splashes.
Individual chambers lined the walls, each three steps off the main floor, with curtains to give privacy to those who dwelled within. Somewhere inside one of those booths was someone with the answers I needed.
“Stay close, and for the love of God, whatever happens, just go with it. ” I placed a hand on the back of his neck, which looked quite peculiar given how much taller he was, but I needed to show everyone he belonged to me.
There were about thirty vampires in the room, and perhaps forty humans. It was impossible to tell if the breathers were daytime servants or enthralled evening snacks. Telling the vampires from the humans was easy enough, though.
What surprised me was that the girl behind the bar was not among the former.
I steered Nolan up to the long black bar that had all the fixings of a normal, human bar, but would be serving something a little bloodier as well. The girl turned her attention to us. She appeared to be a few years older than me, but if I was guessing her age from her eyes, I’d say she was decades older than her body claimed. Her skin was a flawless brown color, like rich chocolate. Her hair was cut short, but instead of making her look boyish, it showed off her incredible face. She had big round eyes with sleepy lids, and a full mouth that wasn’t smiling.
She looked at my hand on Nolan’s neck, then ignored him and focused on me. This girl understood the system. Nolan was chattel and I was the master.
“What can I get you?” she asked. Her nod was curt, and she stared right in between my eyes like Nolan had when we’d first met. Smart, this one.
“AB. ”
“Pos or Neg?”
Nolan choked back a noise that might have screwed us totally. Instead it sounded like a burp.
“Surprise me. ”
“And for your pet?” She inspected Nolan admiringly, then turned back to me. He was easy on the eyes.
“I—” he began, before I squeezed his neck and he quieted.
