The vampires stopped at one of the roped-off doors and nodded at the guard posted there. He knocked on the door twice, and a few seconds later it opened from the inside.
We went up a short flight of stairs. Vampire one, me, Beth, then vampire two bringing up the rear. My feet were starting to freaking hurt. Sitting against the wall was a vampire that looked like she owned the place. She was watching us like we were ants in her kitchen. Next to her, though, was one of the most intimidating men I'd ever encountered. If I thought she looked like she owned the place it was nothing compared to this guy. And beside him were two young women who looked like they belonged upstairs.
One of our vampire guides turned to face us. “Mr. Atonal owns this club. You will show him respect.” There was a viciousness to his voice that left me with the feeling that if we didn't voluntarily we'd be forced to. And he didn't look opposed to violence.
“I thought the leader of the vamps was a woman,” I whispered to Beth.
“She is. He just owns the club.”
The two women who looked far too young for Mr. Atonal hissed at us. As we approached, I couldn't help but realize how wrong I'd been about the woman who'd sneered at us as we walked in. She definitely didn't look like she owned the club, not when compared to Mr. Atonal.
“I don’tjustown the club,” he said in a low voice, easily heard in the quiet VIP room. “I’m the second-in-command to the vampire queen and lord of this domain.” He spread his hands pompously.
Oh, fuck. What a dick. “I’m looking for my brother, Henry Foxx.”
Atonal squinted. “The human?” He waved his hand dismissively. “He is no concern of mine.”
“Hey,” I said sharply, causing Atonal to give me a withering glance. “He is a concern of yours because I need to know where he is.”
“He got what he deserved. No one cheats in my club,” Atonal said and caressed one of the women’s thighs, sliding his hand way too high in front of strangers. “You may leave.”
Okay, deep breath. Don’t back down. “No, I want to know where he is.”
“I owe you nothing,” the vampire said, his lip curling into an almost-smirk. “I am a powerful vampire, and you are a lowly witch with a few tricks in her bag. This was a one time courtesy. You will leave my club now and never dare to waste my time again.”
No.My heart raced. I couldn’t leave the club without Henry.
I looked at Beth. She looked back at me, a question in her eyes. Oh no, had she thought I’d run things from here?
I curled my hands into fists. Okay then. My friends had gotten me this far. It looked like I was going to have to put my big girl panties on and handle it from here.
People seemed to fear Karma, so there had to be a reason, right?
I wondered if my powers could be manipulated and focused, rather than happening when the timing was right. Narrowing my eyes on him, I muttered, “Tiny-dicked jerk.” A familiar tingle moved over my skin, and I felt a strange mix of horror and fascination as I held my breath, waiting. Not sure for what.
A second later, Atonal got a strange look on his face like he’d eaten something bad. His muscles jerked. His brows drew together in confusion, and then he gasped and his eyes went wide. Throwing the women off of him, he jumped to his feet, unbuckling his fancy belt faster than I could catch with my eyes before he looked into his pants.
“Turn it back!” he screamed so loud the people beyond the window, even some of the dealers, swung their heads around, looking for who yelled. “Now!”
Beth glanced at me in confusion. I was sure I looked just as shocked as he did. Had I really just…? Could I actually control my powers? And if he realized I’d been the one to do this, what would he do to me?
Especially if I had no idea how to change him back.
But then I saw realization dawn on Beth’s face, and rather than looking alarmed, she had the most pleased expression. Here I was trying to figure out whether or not I should be scared. The only thing I could think to do was to follow her lead.
With a snort, Beth pointed at Atonal. “You should be more polite. Emma here isKarma.”
Atonal gaped at me. His gaze ran from my uncomfortable shoes up to my face. I had no idea what he was thinking, but he still seemed disturbed by whatevertinyproblem he’d found in his pants.
“I thought Karma was a legend.”
I forced a grin and crossed my arms as Beth continued. “The only way to fix it is tostopbeing a tiny-dicked jerk.”
Atonal stood staring into his pants for several seconds. “Okay!” he said in a high-pitched, scared voice. “I heard a rumor, but that’s all I know!”
Pointing my finger directly at him, as though that was how I controlled the size of his dick, I stepped closer. “What was the rumor? I can make it disappear entirely,” I warned.
He yelped and scrambled backward, falling into his chair. “It was rumored that Henry got mixed up with the sirens. That he owes them a blood debt.”
