“Oh, I get it,” I say breaking into a smile. “All the sections are story villains. Bad Witches Club. That’s cute.” I instantly want to explore the rest of the club. Is there a Maleficent section?
Damien slants me a withering look, then places a finger over his lips. Fine, I’ll be quiet for the grumpy monster.
“Jimmy,” he says, approaching someone I assume is a vampire. With wide brown eyes and hair that’s too dark to be called blond but isn’t quite brown, he looks barely nineteen, but I’m guessing he’s far older.
He sweeps bangs from his eyes. “Damien! I swear to all the gods, I haven’t stepped within ten feet of a Gowdie witch.”
“Not why I’m here, Jimmy. Do you still hunt in the industrial districtin Richmond?”
“Yeah, sometimes. Why?” Jimmy’s gaze slides to me. I hold perfectly still and try not to breathe.
“Did you ever see a printing operation there, on the corner of Wakefield and Junction?”
He rubs the back of his head. “Sounds familiar. Why do you want to know?”
“Gowdie business. It’s gone now, and I need to know what happened to it.”
He shrugs. “One day there, next day gone. They used to hire people off the street. It attracted a good number of prospects. Hunting’s been shit as of late.”
“Did you see the people who moved it?” Damien shifts so his body is between us, blocking Jimmy’s view of me, and I take a slow, even breath.
“No. Sorry. Wasn’t there that night.” Jimmy shuffles to the right and his eyes catch on me again.
“Do you know anything about the publication?” Damien asks, a note of annoyance in his voice.
“Not much of a reader.” Jimmy rubs the back of his neck. “Hey, who’s your friend?”
I’m growing impatient and it’s clear Jimmy suspects I’m not a vampire because he's tracking me and swallowing reflexively. I step forward and hold out a picture of Tony on my phone. “Did you ever see this man at the warehouse?”
Jimmy freezes, his nostrils flaring. At first, I think it’s because he recognizes Tony, but then he lowers his nose to the inside of my wrist and inhales deeply. His mouth spreads into a wide, fang-filled grin. “Damien, you’ve been a very bad boy.”
Damien slaps a hand over my wrist and shoves it down to my side.
The other vampire scoffs. “Like that’ll help. She smellslike freshly cut pomegranate and narcissus. I knew the second she was within ten feet of me.”
Damien’s expression grows dark and he steps closer to Jimmy, looming over him. “Have you seen the man or not?”
“No. I didn’t pay attention to the place, Damien. It was human stuff.”
“Fine,” Damien says gruffly. “Is Thaddeus here tonight?”
“I think I saw him in the White Witch section.”
Damien gives Jimmy a curt nod, then hooks his hand behind my elbow and escorts me up the stairs. Once we’re alone, he jerks me roughly into his side. “Don’t ever offer your wrist to a vampire. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
20
Blood Ties
ELOISE
“Ididn’t—” I start to protest, then realize, fuck, I had exposed my wrist to the vampire. When I’d shown him the picture, my pulse was on full display. “Okay, well maybe I accidentally did, but honestly, he already knew what I was. If he stared at me any harder, he’d leave a bruise.”
“It’s a dead giveaway that you’re human,” Damien says. “I knew this was a bad idea. Jimmy has never kept a secret in his life. He’s likely spreading the news I’m here with you even now.”
“I won’t do it again.”
He snorts. “We’re on borrowed time. Let’s move.” He makes a growly sound and hauls me up the rest of the stairs. When we reach the top, he opens the door to a gigantic wardrobe at the end of the landing. I enter a dark passageway lined with furs. The back of the wardrobe gives way, and we step into a winter wonderland, complete with falling snow.
