“Should we really be doing this now,mi lobo?”I shoved my hands into my pockets and glared at those around us. “We already have a prime suspect for her attack.”
If I hadn’t been in such a hurry to get Jack out of there, I would have taken care of the auburn-haired vampire right then and there. For once, I pushed my blood lust down and focused on getting her safely home. Even now, I itched to go back to the club and rip him apart until not even the Hunter’s Guild could identify him.
“You mean that vampire last night?” Tate interrupted my murderous thoughts with a shake of his head, flicking his lip ringwith his tongue. “We don’t know for sure that they and the note are connected yet. That vampire could be a completely different threat altogether.”
I hummed, not knowing enough to persuade him otherwise.
Maybe it was hopeful thinking on my part but a part of me felt as if it was all connected. It made sense though. What are the chances that the one time Jack goes out without one of us with her that she’s attacked? And to a club that was known for students from the academy gathering there even?
Then there was the fact that Xinyi and Iris left her there. No call. No worry about where she went. It was too suspicious to have been just a coincidence. However, I knew I couldn’t just go to Jack with my accusations without any proof.
While I didn’t like how things turned out at the club, I couldn’t help but be grateful for what it led to.
Waking up next to Jack had been the best sleep I’d had in weeks. It had been almost impossible for me to pull myself away from her later that day. I would have stayed longer but the sound of her parents moving around the house made me worry I would be caught in her bed and I wasn’t sure how they would feel about that. That wasn’t a confrontation I wanted to have just yet.
Though, it was hard. All I wanted to do was lie there and watch her sleep. I hadn’t expected I’d get to be that close to her without some sublime begging first.
But just being able to hold her, to be able to breathe her in again, reiterated to me that none of the other stuff mattered. My sire. Her parents. None of it. I knew without a doubt that I wanted to be with her.
There was just one hiccup.
The hunter.
Tate, I had no problem sharing Jack with, but the hunter had to go. There was no way I could share her with him. He was arrogant. Spiteful. And completely prejudiced against my kind.
No matter how much Tate teased us, there was no way in hell that I’d ever sleep with him. Jack would just have to get rid of him. She’d see that she was more than fulfilled by Tate and me and realize she doesn’t need the hunter. I was sure of it.
“Wait here,” Tate ordered, while he dipped into the class he had with the witch Tabby.
Normally, I didn’t care for it when he gave me such orders. I did and went where I wanted. However, this was for Jack. If my staying back so he could cozy up with the witch helped, then that was exactly what I would do.
I didn’t have to wait long. A moment later, he came out of the classroom with whom I could only assume was Tabby trailing behind him. When she saw me, she paused, the scent of fear leaked off her.
Two different colored eyes stared me down. One bright blue while the other a black sucking hole that enveloped the pupil and gave off a strange glint from inside it. I was no stranger to the dark but even her eyes made the back of the hair on my neck stand at attention.
“Don’t worry about him.” Tate grinned and clapped me on the shoulder. “He’s harmless, promise. We just want to help Jack.”
“Right,” she drew out but kept her distance from me. “What did you want to show me?”
Tate pulled the note from his pocket and handed it to her. “Can you get anything off this? There’s no scent, which is almost impossible to do, so we figured some witch might have charmed it or something?”
Tabby pursed her lips, her mismatched eyes staring at the note. “There is definitely magical residue on this, but I can’t tell what kind of charm was used. In any case, selling and distributing charms outside of approved sources is strictly prohibited. If someone charmed this, which they certainly did, then they must have done it at the black market.”
I watched as Tate’s brows furrowed. “Black market? There’s a black market for this stuff?”
“Oh, of course.” Those mismatched eyes lit up. “There’s a black market for just about anything you can think of. Organs. Rare trading cards. Drugs. Even,” she lowered her voice, “special types of blood. You just have to know where to find them.”
I had to admit my interest was peaked at the mention of special kinds of blood. I wanted to ask her what kind of blood. There were so many more mystical creatures that never came out of hiding that it would be damn near impossible to taste their blood. You could go a century and never hear of a sighting. Even though I generally only fed from Tate for the most part, I itched to go to this market. Simply for the experience if anything else.
Tate and I exchanged a look. “And do you know where this black market — for magic — is?” he asked.
“Well…” Tabby glanced around, chewing on her lower lip. “I’m really not supposed to talk about it. It’s kind of frowned upon in polite circles but…” She grabbed a scrap of paper out of her bag and scribbled on it. “It moves around a lot, but this should be where they’ll be next full moon.”
“Full moon?” Tate’s brows rose in concern.
The witch laughed nervously. “Yeah, I know kind of inconvenient for a werewolf, but it’s a prime time for doing magic. I suggest you don’t take any chances if you plan on going there.”
“Okay, thanks.” Tate held the piece of paper in his hands, concern coming down the bond.
