She Without An Ear growled helpfully beneath the table.
‘Hmm.’ Penelope rose to her feet and glided over to him. I couldn’t hear what she said but it was clear he didn’t like it.
‘I have as much right to be here as she does! I’m here on official business!’ He yanked up his shirt sleeve and revealed the same half-circle red mark I was sporting on my arm. ‘I have been marked and I am allowed to be here!’
Penelope held up an elegant finger to indicate that he should wait, then returned to me and lowered her head. ‘I apologise but I shall take my leave now. I will escort that … gentleman to the Bureaucratic Suite and have his mark removed. He will no longer be admitted to the Understream.’
My mouth dropped open. ‘Pardon?’
‘This is a refined establishment. The last thing we need is someone of his ilk disturbing the peace, and if he is not allowed in here he should not be allowed anywhere.’
‘I’m not sure that’s necessary,’ I said. ‘He’s not bothering me.’ Much.
‘You are my guest in The Den and you are here in the Understream to help our friends. He is only here to make money. He is unimportant.’ She curtsied and moved away before I could reply.
With her wide skirts and corseted waist Lady Penelopelooked more like a joke than someone to be feared, but she was a centuries-old vampire – and vampires were at the top of the food chain.
Her hand snapped around Tobias Hollow’s wrist and this time she didn’t lower her voice. ‘You will come with me now.’
‘What?’ Hollow snapped. ‘I will do no such thing.’ He tried to resist.
The other vampires in the room watched the action carefully but nobody moved. I suspected that was not because they disapproved of Penelope’s actions but because they knew she had matters under control.
‘You most certainly will. Either I drag you, or you can move of your own accord. It is up to you.’
‘I’m here on business! I own several properties that I am prepared to lease to vampires and…’
‘We do not want them. Your business here is concluded.’
‘But … but…’
Penelope huffed impatiently and tightened her grip around Tobias Hollow’s wrist. My eyes widened when I heard the familiar sound of bones snapping.
He screamed and fell to his knees. He was a big man but Penelope had brought him down with nothing more than a little pressure. Impressed by her technique, I gave a low whistle. I would never possess that sort of strength.
The bartender ambled out from behind the bar, walked to the door and held it open. Penelope inclined her head and then, without glancing in my direction, pulled the hapless Tobias Hollow out of the room. Within seconds of her departure, everyone in the pub had returned to their conversations as if nothing had happened.
I picked up my drink and drained its contents. Penelope certainly wasn’t someone I wanted to make an enemy of, and Iwas glad she was finally on my side, but Tobias Hollow’s presence hadn’t bothered me. I wondered if she’d taken advantage of the situation to avoid answering more of my questions about the safety issues relating to the thralls. Hmmm.
Chapter
Fifteen
Working the vampire shift was playing havoc with my sleep. It was midday by the time I managed to rouse myself properly, much to the cats’ disgust that their feeding routine had been disturbed as a result.
He Who Must Sleep was particularly offended even though, given his own napping proclivities, I’d have expected him to understand. Bristling with irritation, he glared at me from a corner of the kitchen and only subsided when She Without An Ear unexpectedly padded up to him and tipped her nose against his.
‘It’s only for another five days,’ I told my posse of cats as I poured out their very late breakfast and garnished it with special chunks of fish in a shameless attempt to appease them. ‘I promise.’
I put down the bowls and replenished their water. ‘Thane’s dropping by regularly to make sure you’re alright but I could ask him to stay for a few days until this is over, if you like,’ I offered. None of them answered immediately because they were far too busy satisfying their hunger.
There was a thud on the window pane. I glanced up and saw She Who Commands Werewolves staring in at me. It appeared that Thane had already arrived. I frowned, drew closer to the window and glanced past the ginger cat. Right there, in the middle of the path, were five empty food bowls.
‘Hey!’ I said aloud. None of the cats paid me any attention. ‘Thane is here!’ They continued eating. ‘And he’s already fed you!’
She Who Loves Sunbeams flicked her ears in an attempt to display guilt but none of the others bothered to react. I rolled my eyes at their gaslighting; I ought to have been used to such feline manipulation yet somehow I fell for it every time.
I let She Who Commands Werewolves inside and, because I was a sucker, gave her a snack. She sniffed derisively when she saw that her bowl was far emptier than the others’ but nevertheless attacked the food with gusto. I grabbed my cup of coffee and headed outside to find her werewolf servant.
