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Not sure what else to do, I return my attention to Celeste’s table. With a deep breath, I feel gently for the raw instinct slumbering inside me, dipping into the power provided to me by Celeste’s blood. On one hand, it makes being around a crowd more difficult, the faint smell of blood seemingly everywhere around me, saliva pooling in my mouth. On the other, I can now make out what they’re saying.
Celeste, who is sitting with her back to me, sounds calm and mildly disinterested – as always – while the other witch speaks in a husky and casual tone.
“I won’t sell it if I can’t trust it will be kept out of the wrong hands,” Celeste says as she places a small wooden box on the table, no larger than a pack of cigarettes. It’s hard not to notice the way she holds herself, upright, controlled, confident.
The other woman pops it open and inspects the contents. “Maybe it’s already in the wrong hands? I see you hire parasites now.”
She doesn’t need to look up for me to know that she means me. Her words provoke a growl in me that I barely manage to suffocate before it escapes my lips. My hands are twitchy, ready to seize their prey.This is exhausting.
There’s a long pause before Celeste replies, “I don’t think insulting the people that work for me is going to be an effective way to negotiate with me.”
Snapping the box shut, the woman says, “I’m not negotiating. You’re out of your mind if you think I’ll pay what you’re asking for a broken inquisitor without proper provenance.”
“I can trace it all the way back to the sixteenth century, which is the best provenance you’re going to get for one of these.”
Shrugging in a youthfully defiant way, the tattooed witch says, “It’s still broken.”
Celeste scoffs quietly. “Good luck finding one that’s not.”
“I know you have at least one.” The woman crosses her arms.
Celeste shakes her head and leans back in her chair, drumming her delicate fingers on the armrest. “If that’s what you came here for, I can’t help you.”
“Actually, I came here to see if the rumours are true. Hiring vampires, selling part of your private collection… you’re getting desperate. Charon’s Veil is starting to get to you.”
“Believe what you want.” Celeste takes the box back and slips it into her coat. “That doesn’t make this any cheaper.”
A sound in the distance distracts me for a moment. I close my eyes, trying hard to make out where it came from. There seems to be a cacophony of car doors being slammed. I hear footsteps marching down a pair of stairs and along the street above. There’s a shout somewhere in the staff area –police.
I jump to my feet, grabbing Mel by the arm.
“What are you doing?” she hisses.
The tattooed witch looks up at me, causing Celeste to turn around.
“Police raid,” I explain. “I think they’re coming for both exits.”
Mel’s expression goes from shock to frustration in the blink of an eye. “Get her out,” she says. “That magic thingy will probably land her in jail otherwise.”
When I arrive at Celeste’s table a moment later – Celeste already having gotten to her feet – the other witch says, “I wonder how interesting your provenance is going to be for law enforcement.”
“Fucking petty,” Celeste swears.
The door to the staff area behind the bar flies open and officers,both human and otherwise, flood out into the room. There are at least two minotaurs and a handful of terrifying-looking seraphim. Within a moment, the music dies and the bar breaks out into chaos. It takes me digging even deeper into my reserves of blood for me to hear the footsteps out on the sidewalk, which sound like they’re about to arrive at the stairs. Celeste is close enough that I can smell her blood and I have to fight the urge to release my fangs.
How the hell am I supposed to get Celeste out of this room in the three seconds before they get down here?
In a split second, I decide to do the only thing I can think of. Picking Celeste up, I let my thoughts subside, giving in to the animal desire to hunt and kill. She becomes my prey – prey that I’m not willing to share. I launch forward with enough force that I surprise even myself, nearly colliding with some of the other patrons as I zigzag my way to the door. Luckily, Celeste has the wherewithal to wrap her arms around my neck. Less than three steps are enough to carry me to the door, which I kick open.
I take all the steps at once, barreling straight into one of the officers at the top. He swears loudly. The rest of them blur as I bolt past, stepping out onto the street before the door has even fallen shut behind me. The city flies by in a flurry of light and colors, cars honking as I slip across multiples sidestreets.
I make it awhole two blocks before suddenly realizing that if I keep the tempo up, I’ll probably collapse in less than a few meters. I groan with exhaustion as I slow my steps, suddenly swaying.
Celeste nestles her head against my neck. “See, kitten? I knew you had your uses.” Unable to force my shaking knees onward, I set Celeste down and lean against the closed entryway of some fashion chain, suddenly burning up with heat. My vision darkens. Worse, though, is the hunger. It’s as though I burned through all the willpower I had while forgetting to put the monster back to sleep.
9. MISDIRECTED APPETITE
Celeste steadies me, the musky sweetness of her perfume wafting over me. Desperately struggling to regain some semblance of control, I try to fight back against the images of my lips pressed against her neck.
