Penelope nodded. ‘Drugs are allowed.’ At my expression, she laughed. ‘We live a long time, Kit. It pays to keep the rules to a minimum.’
Uh-huh. I dreaded to think what a vampire on cocaine was like, but then again I’d probably come across such creatures on many occasions. I thought about the time I’d been contracted to go after a particularly dangerous vampire. I’d staked him with surprising ease and he’d barely put up any sort of defence; in fact, he’d seemed almost happy when I attacked him. That encounter was suddenly making a lot more sense.
‘Coke the drink,’ I said firmly. ‘Please.’
Penelope smiled. ‘Noproblem.’
I wondered whether she would partake of alcohol-laden blood but instead she ordered a martini direct from the bartender. ‘Without the addition of blood, its alcoholic effects are entirely negated,’ she told me. ‘But I enjoy the taste.’
Fair enough.
We took our drinks and settled on chairs at an empty table close to She Without An Ear, who abandoned her perch and joined us. She rubbed her head against my ankles before curling into a ball by my feet. For the first time since we’d entered the Understream, both of us relaxed.
‘Thank you for your candour earlier,’ I said quietly. ‘It means a lot to me.’
‘You are welcome, Kit.’ She hesitated then said, ‘I hope you will also understand why I do not wish to see you again after this week is over. I do not want to be your friend. I do not want to care for you. It is not personal,’ she added faintly.
Vampires were far less resilient than I’d realised. I nodded to show her that I understood and took a sip of my drink. The easiest way to make her feel comfortable was to return to business. ‘Talk to me about thralls,’ I said, in a more impersonal tone.
My request did the exact opposite of what I’d intended because Penelope’s red eyes widened with alarm. ‘You do not wish to become a thrall, do you?’
Jeez. Absolutely not. ‘No.’ Choosing my words carefully, I leaned forward. ‘But I heard you mention to Thomas that thralls are not permitted in the Understream and I’m curious why.’ Penelope and I had come a long way in two short days but I wasn’t willing to snitch on the shifty thrall whose image had appeared in the echo spell, not until I knew more. A lot more.
Something odd flickered in her face and suddenly she was guarded again. ‘Thralls used to enter and leave theUnderstream when they wished,’ she said stiffly. ‘In recent months, however, they have been forbidden from entering.’
‘All of them?’
‘Yes.’
I could tell she didn’t want to talk about it but I pushed on regardless. ‘Why?’
Penelope sighed. ‘There have been some safety concerns.’
What didthatmean? ‘I’m not sure I understand. Do you mean…’
She interrupted me before I could finish my question. ‘I do not wish to discuss it further.’ Her tone brooked no argument.
I was confused. Only moments earlier she had opened up to me about what it meant to be a vampire and the corrosive effects of a potential immortality, so why wouldn’t she talk to me about this? I put down my drink. She Without An Ear sensed my tension and flicked her tail against my feet.
Before I could say anything, a loud voice called from the doorway, ‘What the fuck is that woman doing here?’
I blinked when I realised that the voice was directed at me – and that I recognised its owner. ‘Tobias Hollow,’ I muttered under my breath. Of all the gin joints in all the world…
‘You know that man?’ Penelope enquired.
‘Our paths have crossed.’
She raised an elegant eyebrow and waited for an explanation. What the hell. ‘He’s the landlord for Green Humbleton.’
‘I am aware of that,’ she said.
‘He wanted to sell the land to the highest bidder and was raising rents on the trows who lived there. He planned to kick them out of the homes they’ve been living for generations so he could jack up the sales price. I persuaded him to rethink his plans.’
‘I demand that she leaves!’ Tobias Hollow said loudly, stillfurious at my presence. ‘She is a vile creature who should never have been permitted within the Understream, let alone this establishment!’
‘He is scared of you,’ Penelope murmured.
Shit. She was right about that – the last time I’d met Tobias Hollow, I’d held a dagger to his throat – but I didn’t want Penelope or any other vampires to know that I could provoke fear. That wouldn’t help my investigation in the slightest. ‘I can’t imagine why,’ I said. ‘Perhaps he doesn’t like cats.’
