“No Cedric?” I ask lightly, taking a seat opposite Lazarus. Our table is on a raised platform, in the center of the restaurant. It’s not my favourite seat, but this is where we conduct business when we need to. A nice, clear vantage point if anything goes wrong. The rest of the lounge was emptied for this meeting. We don’t want any curious ears hearing something they shouldn’t. “Too scared to show his face, I suppose.”
Lazarus grins, a small but potent gesture on an ancient face. “And no Tudor, I see. He just sent his little lapdog.”
“If you want to bait me, you’ll have to try harder. Or are you getting a bit slow in your old age, Lazarus?”
“My senses are as sharp as ever, I assure you.” A mist of crimson peeks through his irises. “I can’t say the same for my youngest progeny, however.”
“Yes, he wasn’t the brightest, was he?” I reply, leaning back in mychair and folding my arms. “You should choose your progeny more carefully next time.”
His eyes narrow. “And you should choose your words more carefully, young one.”
I bristle slightly, but keep my expression neutral. At 300 years old, I’m certainly not a young vampire. “I’ll speak as I desire, in my own territory…”
“Yourterritory?” he tsks. “I was controlling Silverlake City for centuries before you were evenborn. Tudor may build a silly hotel or two, but he should think twice about claiming that he runs any part of it.”
“Irun the business for the Thornblade family.”
“Youare Tudor’s pawn,” Lazarus says firmly. “And the game of chess he’s playing is going to be very short if you everthinkof touching my progeny again.”
“Your progeny came into our club and tried to drain a breather,” I hiss. “It’s disrespectful to our family, not to mention bad for business. Leave our territory alone, Lazarus.
“I’ll only give you one warning.”
Amara
It seems a little pointless to employ a bartender for a meeting between two vampires. I strain to hear their conversation, but they speak in hushed, intense tones and I can’t make anything out from over here at the bar. This lounge isenormous.
Celine Côté sits at the table like a queen on a throne, surveying the other vampire like she’s going to have his head cut off. I hope that she doesn’t try to stake him, but I wouldn’t put it past her.
I watch her nervously. Vampires have this strange, smooth way of moving. And because they don’t breathe, or have a beating heart, they can be incredibly still when they’re not speaking. She looks like a statue from up on her raised platform. Today, she wears a long, dark purple vest and matching slacks. The vest is cut low, and shows off her smooth collarbone and toned arms.
The light in the lounge is better than in the club and I can get a good look at her. Her features are softer than expected. Her nose and lips have an elegant curve thatI didn’t notice before. And her hair isn’t quite black. It’s a dark, cool brown.
“Whiskey neat,” says a sharp voice to my right.
It’s one of the guards that arrived with the other vampire. He must not be a vampire if he’s ordering a drink. He sits casually on a barstool. His movements are easy and smooth, but not in a vampiric way. He wears his shirt open, easy to slip in and out of. I look down at his feet. No shoes.
A shifter, I bet.
“Coming right up,” I sigh, pouring a generous helping of whiskey into a glass for him.
As I set it down on the bar, I notice a movement from the vampire on the platform. The one who’s talking to Celine. He looks directly at me and brings his arm to the air, beckoning me over.
Oh no. What could he possibly want? I look around for a server or host, but the only other staff here are the guards.
Warily, I go over to their table and stand beside them. I keep a little distance between us, although it’s probably pointless. Vampires can move incredibly quickly.
“What can I get for you?” I ask.
The other vampire leans forward, almost imperceptibly. Every instinct in my body tells me to run. There’s something strangely off about him that fires up my self-preservation instincts. But I breathe slowly, trying to calm myself.
“What would you recommend?” he asks, his voice crackling with malevolence.
“Well, we have bloodwine.” I try to avoid looking directly into his eyes. Vampires are capable of performing spells to enchant their victims, but they don’t work unless you’re looking them in the eye. “It’s new, and available in different blood types…”
“Whywould I want to drink some stale, fermented blood when I could tap the vein of any human I choose, and suck it directly from the source?”
He turns his gaze to Celine.
