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“Sometimes having a conversation with you is like listening to some really questionably written Supernatural fan fiction.”
“Desmond Alvarez, are you admitting to being a fan of Supernatural?”
“A man needs to do something while his wife is away.”
“Team Dean or Team Sam?” I asked.
“Team Dean,” the barista whispered dreamily.
“Team Castiel,” was Desmond’s reply. “Now go hunt some demons, baby. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Love you,” I said.
“Love you forever.”
I hoped that would still be a very long time.
Chapter Twelve
It was hard for me, as a human, to see the entrance to the West Coast Tribunal?
??s lair. The vampires were able to use their collective thrall to enchant the places they live and make it almost impossible for curious passersby to see them.
Most people walked right by the council headquarters in New York, but I knew where it was from my days with vampire blood, so I could still find it.
I’d spent significantly less time here in that period of my life, so while I knew where the headquarters were, I still drove around the block four times before I spotted it.
Vampires could never make things easy. At least for humans.
I waited until the sun was fully set to give the vampires a chance to arrive for the day before I headed down, and by the time I finally got there, it was abuzz with activity.
I marched up to the front door of the old warehouse and entered without knocking. I knew it would be open—they’re always open after sunset. It’s not like you can walk right in and be face-to-face with the Tribunal. There are levels and layers and a ton of hoops to get through before you’re in the presence of the truly powerful vampires.
But the council itself was there when vampires needed it, so the doors remain open, like a walk-in clinic. Ready to serve at a moment’s notice.
Two eager wardens were up from their desks within seconds of me getting through the door, my all-too-human blood alerting them as soon as I was over the threshold.
“Good evening, Ms. McQueen, what a pleasant surprise,” a pretty East Indian woman cooed politely. I did not imagine my surprise appearance was pleasant to them at all, but A-plus for keeping a straight face while pretending.
“I need to speak to the Tribunal,” I insisted.
“I’m sure you understand that’s not possible without an appointment,” the other warden, a short male with a tightly trimmed goatee, said. “They’re booked weeks in advance. You’re just going to have to come back another time.” I’d never met this guy before, so I was betting he didn’t understand that if I was here to see the Tribunal, it wasn’t a polite social visit.
“Believe me when I tell you they’re going to want to hear this.” I kept walking towards the elevators that went to the lower levels where the Tribunal had their private audience chamber. I’d been there once or twice, so I could show myself down if need be.
The two wardens jogged behind me, obviously motivated to stop me before I got to the elevator.
“Ms. McQueen, you know you can’t go down there on your own,” the female warden said.
“So have someone take me down.”
The goateed guy huffed with annoyance, like I was a dumb human who simply didn’t understand their rules. “As I previously explained, the Tribunal are too busy to see you at the moment. You’re going to need to leave.”
I drew to an abrupt halt and spun around to face the young vampire, not for a second showing the slightest fear or concern for the fact he could basically snap me in half. I still had pretty nasty bruises on my neck from the guy who had almost succeeded in killing me last night. The medical unit had been a bit too busy to deal with basic cosmetic stuff.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked the most Los Angeles question of all time. I hated myself for saying the words, but this asshole was acting like I was a nuisance, and be that as it may, I was an important nuisance.
“Ms. McQueen?” he replied uncertainly, echoing what the female warden had called me.
