Maybe, but he didn’t yet know what those conditions would be. ‘You can’t keep the Clouded Map beyond the end of August.’
The vampire was already nodding. ‘I can work with that.’
‘I mean it,’ Mallory said firmly. ‘It’ll be written into the blood contract between us. It’s non-negotiable.’
‘It’s not a problem.’ He held out his hand for her to shake; she ignored it.
‘I am not finished.’ She eyed him calmly and he withdrew his hand although he was still grinning.
‘Hardball, huh?’
‘You may only use the Clouded Map when it is under a preservation spell.’ She paused. ‘Agoodpreservation spell.’
‘If you procure whatever is necessary, I will make sure a spell is used,’ Longchamps promised. ‘And of course I’ll pay for it. Give my name to any reputable witchery store and they can bill me directly for anything you need.’
That was just as well because Mallory didn’t work with money. ‘There’s more. You have to meet the witch in person to take possession of the map. She wants to remind you of the rules before she passes it over.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Witches,’ he muttered. ‘Honestly. But yes, that’s fine.’
Mallory persisted. ‘And it must be kept in a bellarmine jug whenever it’s not in use. Arealbellarmine jug.’
‘Okay. Find me a jug and that’s exactly what will happen.’
Bugger. ‘I was rather hoping that you would have one,’ Mallory said. ‘I’ll try, but I’m not sure how long it will take me to find one.’
Only the tiniest of frowns marred Longchamps’ forehead. ‘I don’t possess a bellarmine jug.’
‘You’re a vampire – you’re more than four hundred years old. You must know someone who has an empty jug you can borrow.’
‘I’ll ask around.’ But he sounded doubtful.
‘Weneedthe jug.’
‘I’ll let you know. Hopefully you will find one but I’ll search too.’ He started bouncing around on his toes. ‘This is fantastic. The Clouded Map will change everything.’
Mallory watched him curiously; she wanted to be sure he knew what he was getting. ‘The map doesn’t locate people,’ she said.
Longchamps continued bouncing. ‘I know that.’
‘It doesn’t locate any living creatures, it only maps out places.’
‘Yep. That’s fine. That’s what I need.’
She shrugged: he appeared to know what he was getting. The details of exactly why he required the Clouded Map weren’t really any of her business. ‘There’s also the matter of my payment,’ she said.
Now he was no longer merely bouncing, he was dancing around the room taking long elegant steps as if he were a ballroom dancer in need of a partner. He held his hand out to her, indicating that she should join him in a celebratory waltz.
Mallory crossed her arms: she wasn’t here to party, she was here to do business – and her price was high. Longchamps had stated during their previous meeting that he’d pay whatever she wanted in return for the map. It was time to test whether he’d been telling the truth.
‘Three secrets, to be delivered at a time of my choosing.’ Normally she’d have added a time limit on such repayments and clients tended to appreciate that, but vampires were different. With their long, virtually immortal lives, time had a different meaning for them and there was little chance that Longchamps would pass away while Mallory was still alive. She could benefit from this deal for a long time to come, especially if she were careful about when she called on him.
‘Done.’
Mallory still wasn’t finished. ‘And three favours, also of my own choosing.’
Chester Longchamps stopped dancing. ‘Three secretsandthree favours? You ask a great deal. Two secrets and one favour.’
Nope. This was a complex deal and she was prepared to stand her ground, although she wasn’t surprised that he wanted to negotiate now it came down to the nitty-gritty. Alexander MacTire had been an outlier in agreeing instantly to her demands; Chester Longchamps’ approach was the norm. ‘Two secrets. Three favours.’
