Finally, after five minutes that felt like five months, Scarred Lip returned.
His eyes latched onto the lead vampire’s and he nodded. “She had to look it up, but she says that what these two asked for is legit.”
The hawkish vampire turned to us. “In that case, it would be a pleasure to do business with you, ladies. Steve, take ‘em to the supply room and show ‘em our stock.”
Another vampire—Steve, apparently—grunted for us to follow, and we did.
“The price goes up if you decide you want aged blood,” Steve said as we broke through the crowds of bodies, and he unlocked a door at the back of the bar.
“Naturally,” Diana said. “Whoever heard of paying the same amount for fresh fae blood and aged fae blood? I only want the best, which means the magic needs time to cure.”
Steve nodded, obviously impressed.
Damn she’s good.
We walked down the hall, and I caught sight of an exit sign, indicating that we were near the rear of the building. I was just wondering if we were about to head outside, when we took a sharp right through a false wall and entered what looked like apartment buildings. I took note of another exit sign as we walked to the end of a very long corridor. Two minutes later, we were descending a flight of stairs. A damp chill washed over me at the bottom, and a musty odor filled my nostrils. Then the vampire opened an ancient-looking side door and entered.
“Where are we?” Diana demanded.
“These are old interconnected basements where we store supplies.”
We nodded, and Steve moved on.
Almost immediately, we began taking twists and turns through hallways that I feared Diana and I wouldn’t remember. What if we had to kill this guy? The rest of the way had been easy to memorize, but there would be no easy way out of this underground labyrinth. I had to make one.
I called my magic to my fingers, and began brushing the side of the wall. Fuchsia flashed against the cement and then disappeared, ready to reveal itself again when I needed it. It was the magical equivalent of leaving breadcrumbs for us to follow.
I was feeling satisfied with my contribution, when a scream up ahead cut through my core.
“What was that?” I asked, stopping in my tracks.
Steve turned around, and one corner of his mouth lifted in a devious smile. “Let’s just say they’re occupants. We don’t call the bar ‘Fangs and Fetishes’ for nothing.”
A louder moan and a cry for help shot through me, and suddenly I realized why we were there.
This bar was involved in human trafficking. We were here to set the captives free.
The vampire was still staring at me, so I nodded as if I’d suspected what he told me all along. “Smart to have them so close so you can use them whenever.”
“It’s a treat, and I dosolike to indulge,” Steve said and then turned back around.
He made it three more steps before I sensed the shift, the manipulation of energy.
Then Diana lunged forward and stabbed him in the back.
The vampire disintegrated before my eyes, and Diana transferred the wooden stake that she’d just conjured from one hand to the other.
“It seems as though we’ve discovered our trial. What do you say we get to saving some humans?”
Chapter Forty-One
“We need to figure out where the humans are being kept, and fast.” I gestured down both directions of the dark hallway. “We’ve passed ten doors, and there are probably a lot more. Split up, or stay together?”
Diana’s aquiline nose wrinkled. “I’m not—”
A shriek ripped down the hall, sending my heart racing.
That was close. Very close.
