Nathan shook his head, his irritation vanishing. “I don’t know. They’re not sharing. Whatever it is, though, it’s got them antsy.”
An antsy Thomas and Liam. I didn’t think there was anything worse.
I glanced over my shoulder to find Connor paying attention to the conversation.
His gaze shifted to me. He shook his head, as lost as I was.
I faced forward again. “Great.”
The remainder of the drive was completed in silence. Each of us were left to our own thoughts as we passed under the highway and then over the Olentangy river a few miles north of where it joined the Scioto.
From there, we made our way toward the Arena District, an area known as the play center of the city. The district had gone through many incarnations before reaching its current version. In the late 1800s, it was an industrial corridor, complete with a railroad hub. Union Station and most of the train tracks were gone now, but an arch from its arcade remained in the McFerson Commons Park.
At one time there was a penitentiary that served as the city’s prison until it was closed and demolished. The prison held the dubious distinction of being home to the worst prison fire in history, killing 322 inmates in the 1930s.
By the time a proposal to revitalize this part of the city was put forth, the area was mostly abandoned. The houses and former factories had sat empty for years. It wasn’t until the mid-90’s that it was redeveloped into what it is now. A district with a thriving nightlife.
That was probably a big reason the vampires had claimed this section of the city as their hunting grounds. They owned the majority of the clubs, bars and restaurants in the area, using them to pick out their evening’s meal.
No one would notice a human who was staggering a little more than usual because of blood loss rather than inebriation. Most of the time, the human didn’t even remember the encounter. Likely the result of the combination of vampire compulsion and alcohol. If they did remember, they’d chalk up the bite to a kinky interlude with a stranger.
Nathan pulled up in front of Asylum, a trendy nightclub owned by Clan Davinish.
The spot he’d chosen wasn’t an actual parking spot, but that didn’t stop him as he climbed out of the SUV to toss his keys at the valet waiting by the curb.
“I want it detailed before you give it back to me,” Nathan ordered as he stalked past.
Connor and I followed.
A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Do you really think that will make a difference?”
Nathan herded me toward the club’s entrance, bypassing the line of waiting humans. “You’d better hope it does.”
“Ooo, threats.” I pretended to shiver. “We’re so scared. Aren’t we, Connor?”
The other man blinked and tilted his head to give me a confused look. “No.”
His response made me snicker as the bouncers opened the doors for us.
“Welcome to the Asylum.” His wide smile revealed the points of his fangs.
Vampire.
“Hey!” A woman yelled from the other side of the velvet rope. “Why do they get to skip the line?”
Another bouncer held up a pacifying hand and moved to block us from view. “Trust me—you don’t want to make a fuss about them.”
Her response was lost as we entered the club. The bass of the music ran through the floor, a mass of bodies heaving to the beat.
“Was Asylum renovated?” I asked, stopping to take a look around the club.
It looked different than the last time I’d been here.
The theme was macabre with a flair of steampunk. Red and black dominated. Velvet covered the booths, while bronze decorated the lighting fixtures.
The artwork on the walls was equally riveting. In one, a woman wore a black Victorian outfit. A large hat called attention to the skull where her face should have been. In another, a woman in a white nightgown stepped down into a pool of black skulls.
The wait staff were dressed to match the theme. Their clothes walking the line between costume and uniform. Their dramatic makeup made them appear as creepy as the decor. At my question, the bartender looked up from where he was serving a crowd of humans. The skin around his eyes had been painted black and a white powder used on the rest of his face.
