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Embry nods in seeming agreement as a young vampire with spiky silver hair and piercings walks around the corner with two others. Lucianna introduces the small crew. “Silver, Terrence, and Clay, I think you know everyone except Master Campania.”
I extend a hand in greeting. “I hear you’ve proven valuable on many an occasion. I’m glad Lucianna asked you to join us. I ran into a group of witches earlier in the evening. One of the witches told us the ones we’re looking for who are helping the rogues frequent this club. Club Caposso is a known hangout for the syndicate in these parts, so Overmaster Descallia thought it best to have a few reinforcements as we go in and take a look around.”
Descallia nods. “I’ve contacted Nick, head of the family, and smoothed the way. He knows we’re only after the witches. He did not have any knowledge of witches consorting with his men here at the club or any other alliance. He’s given us the okay to go in and ask around, but tread softly, my friends. He hasn’t been the don for very long, and allegiances to him have not had time to cement. Not all of the syndicate want him in power, and the many who don’t are not vampire friendly. They would much rather take over running things and keep the better profit margins for themselves.
Trey and Clarence nod. “We’ll trail behind and keep an eye on everything in case you need help,” Trey says.
Descallia pockets his cell phone. “Very good.” He turns to Raven. “Perhaps you could find out where the witches are and talk with them. Feel them out for us, see if there’s a way to bring them back from the rogues? It would be far better than making them an enemy, no?”
Raven beams. “I’d be happy to, Overmaster.” She glances up at Romano with a smile as his arm slides around her shoulder. Descallia certainly seems to trust Raven. It’s hard to believe next year when her probation is up that he won’t vote for allowing Trentino to take the witch as a mate regardless of the apparent division within the ranks on the matter.
The bald-headed greeter gives us the onceover but gestures us through the set of red double doors. “Nick called and said to welcome you to the club,” he grunts.
The club is dimly lit, filled with smoke and small round tables, each with four chairs scattered throughout. Embry pokes me with her finger. “Good thing for night vision.” I scan the entire club in less than a few minutes, taking in each and every one of the patrons before turning to Raven. “Do you recognize anyone? I’m not seeing anyone that trips any alarms.”
Raven shakes her head. “No.” she sighs. “I was afraid of this when Overmaster Descallia called Romano. The witches would never hang out here.” She lowers her voice. “Seriously, here and the Descallia clubs are the last places any witch would voluntarily go. I thought maybe somehow they had coerced her and her friends into coming here.”
My jaw tightens with irritation. The lying little enchantress back at the club. “Clay, Terrence, and Silver, come with me. We’re going to go round up some deceitful little witches,” I tell the group before transporting into the night and leaving them to follow in my wake.
The lights are still on in the living room of the house the witches have rented. “Silver, when we go in, do that thing of yours and make sure the witches can’t escape. I don’t want to give them time to flee or pull some magic prank. We transport into the room, our eyes flaming red and fangs descended if nothing for the effect of scaring the crafty, deceitful little creatures.
Shrill screams permeate the room so high pitched that it sends jolts of pain through my ears. Silver is quick, though. He uses his powers to move socks from the witches half-packed bags that lay strewn across the floor. They float through the air with impressive speed, landing into their mouths as cable ties are snapped onto their wrists, effectively silencing the enraged witches, and ensuring they can’t get to their wands. Rule number one: always disarm the witches from those trusty wands they carry everywhere they go.
Willow’s eyes are swirling, afire with golden bolts of anger. I gesture to the door. “Take the others to the warehouse.” I keep my eyes on the enraged enchantress to ensure she doesn’t get that sock out of her mouth and cast a spell. Their little games may not be deadly, but they always take time to get reversed by the healers, and that’s something we have little of right now.
The deceitful witch may not like it, but she’s coming with me.
I walk toward her, and she backs up. The swirling fades as her eyes burn bright green, filling with fear and causing me to pause mid stride. The female who not hours ago was dancing just for me, taunting me with her seductive beauty, whether I wanted to admit the attraction or not, now barely breaths as I invade her space.
Instead, she stands shivering as she looks up at me with terror. All of her bravado of the evening gone in a minute as the reality of her situation sets in. No more is she the sassy enchantress, but now the captured prey of one of the purebloods she’s been conditioned over centuries to hate.
Taking advantage of her fear to get a quick confession should be easy. She’s a witch, one of the many cackling females who has given the vampires nothing but trouble since the beginning of time. But yet the fear in her eyes causes an unfamiliar emotion, and I change my tactic altogether.
That doesn’t mean I’m soft; it just means I’ll get it in a much different way…
Chapter6
Willow
I watchas the vampires gather my friends. They frog march them from our house over the sea and down the steps that will eventually lead them to the garage on the lower side of the hill. We’re far too outnumbered now to fight; besides, I have what the master vampire wants.
Information, maybe it’s important enough to trade us out of our situation, and maybe it’s not. But we’ll never know unless I try. Then I can get to my friends, and we can be out of this region before Devora is the wiser, because running into her is the last thing any of us want or need.
The vampire master’s dark eyes rake over me as the others close the door behind them. “This could have been easy, and you made it hard. So now the rules have changed. Instead of telling me where the rogue witches are, you’re going to personally take me there.”
My mind swirls with every curse word in the dictionary, and he hears every single one. “Manners, enchantress, or you’ll find yourself draped over my lap getting the spanking you so rightly deserve.”
The rolled-up pair of ankle socks render using my mouth completely useless. I avert my eyes and suck in a breath through my nose. That doesn’t stop the unwanted image of the muscular vampire master taking me to task over his knee with my dress flipped up over my bright red cheeks to swirl through my mind, causing my cheeks and center to heat.
The intensity of his eyes draws mine toward him, causing my heart to beat faster. His eyes shimmer with red, and his fangs slowly descend. The way he looks at me sends a delicious warmth throughout my entire body. I swallow hard and drag my eyes away from the vampire to hide my arousal, because everyone knows that vampires and witches are forbidden.
Campania smirks at me as though he has the upper hand. Maybe he does at this particular moment, but as soon as I have the opportunity the bastard will be sorry he ever put me in this position or that he ever thought to challenge a witch.
His thick dark eyebrows raise, and he tries to hide a smirk, but I see the hint of his upturned lips just the same.
I pull at the restraints of my wrists, just itching to get to my wand and turn him into a fucking toad.“Do your best, vampire. You have me at an advantage now, but it won’t be for long.”
The vampire master stalks toward me. I shrink into the comforting coolness of the wall. He glares down at me. “Enough with the mind games, enchantress. Where are the witches we’re looking for hiding?”
