AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shivered and resisted the urge to rub my arms. I might not like the feel of the magic here, but I couldn’t respond or show any sort of fear.
She would be watching.
The room itself was split into an upper and lower tier. On the upper tier and to the left, there were a series of seating “pods,” which currently held tables but no seats, while the area to the right was dominated by a long bar that had once been made from twisted metal and glass but the top of which was now entirely black marble through which odd purple light pulsed. The lower tier was entirely devoted to the dance floor, though it currently was little more than pitted and blackened concrete.
I lifted my gaze to the ceiling. The silver Sisalation made the vast, black-painted arches that soared over the huge room look even more impressive, but they lacked the series of intricate and intriguing biomechanical and alien forms that had crawled over the originals. Maelle’s lair—a dark glass and metal room built into the point where those arches met, giving her a 360-degree view of her venue while concealing her from casual sight—had been rebuilt and looked complete.
If the vague shadow visible through one of those panes of glass was anything to go by, our vampire was indeed in residence.
“Lizzie Grace,” an effusive and familiar voice said, “how wonderful of you to visit so early in the reconstruction of our venue.”
I turned and watched Roger emerge from the shadows clinging to the bar. I’d expected him to be here—Maelle would have considered dealing with the everyday problems and people that came with rebuilding beneath her. What I hadn’t expected was for him to look so different, both facially and physically. He’d always been tall and thin, with pale skin, hair, and eyes, but right now, he was little more than a long streak of bones. Maelle had survived the explosion almost unharmed, but Roger had been so badly injured he’d been forced into a period of stasis so that his body could heal and recover. It was obviously taking a very long time for that to happen, even if he was now up and about.
“I’m afraid this visit isn’t really a social one.”
He sighed dramatically. “We had feared as much. Come, this way. My mistress awaits.”
He motioned me forward, then pressed a hand against Monty’s chest as he made to follow. “She does not await your presence. You may remain here.”
“Iamthe reservation witch here, you know,” Monty said, with a touch of amused annoyance.
“And is this reservation witch business?” Roger asked mildly. “Or is this visit more a ‘there’s trouble afoot, so we should therefore visit the local vampire’ one?”
Monty rolled his eyes. “You’re being pedantic, Roger.”
“Indeed, I am, and thoroughly enjoying it.” He pointed to the bar and the lone seat there—one that hadn’t been there seconds ago. “I made you a coffee so that you can wait in comfort.”
The fact Maelle could conjure a chair while controlling a multitude of other major spells was scary evidence that her magical prowess had increased.
I drew in a deeper breath to calm the rising fear and my racing pulse, then touched Monty’s arm lightly. “I’ll be fine.”
And I’ll relay what’s happening to him, Belle commented.
The brief shift in his expression said she’d included him in the conversation. He nodded and walked across to the bar. He didn’t sit on the shadowy chair, however, and I can’t say I would have, either.
I stepped down onto the bottom tier and walked across, my skin itching with the force of Roger’s presence. He might look emaciated, but his magical aura was full—almost bloated. Maelle was obviously directing some of her magic through him.
The entrance to Maelle’s lair was an inconspicuous-looking pod usually closed off by a wrought-iron door. That was missing, and the circular black glass staircase was now black marble that would have cost a fortune.
But then, a vampire who’d been alive for at least several centuries probably wasn’t wanting for money.
Roger stopped at the base of the pod and motioned me on. “Be aware that she is in a bit of a mood tonight. Things have not gone well.”
A comment that made me rethink how wise it had been to come here, but it was too late to back out now. Doing so would only annoy Maelle, and we couldn’t afford to get her offside if therewasa connection between her and the evil I was sensing.
Because that psychic bit of me was thinking it was no coincidence the two had turned up at the same time.
“If she gets mad and tries to bite me, things will go even worse for her.”
Roger laughed and lightly touched my arm. His fingers were cold, almost clammy, and all I wanted to do was wrench free. I resisted. The shadows of Maelle’s presence lurked in the pale depths of his eyes, and if shewasin a mood then she’d probably see it as an insult.
“Ah, Lizzie Grace,” he said, in a tone that was deeper, more accented, than his own. “How I have missed you.”
“I’d love to say the same, Maelle, but it would, sadly, be a lie.”
Roger laughed again, and this time when he spoke, his voice was his own. “Please, do go on up.”
He removed his hand, but the unpleasant ghost of his touch remained. I did my best to ignore the revulsion and headed up, my footsteps echoing lightly on the black marble.
