Blood Thief Box Set(36)

Georgina shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Shame on you, Simon, for ignoring your chosen like-" An uproar from the arena interrupted us.

We all looked to the ring in time to watch the bear lift the werewolf off his feet. The bear threw his foe from the ring. Customers flew from their chairs a split second before the unconscious werewolf crashed into their tables. The wood splintered beneath his great weight and he was left in a pile of debris. The loser reverted back to his human form while the winner pumped his furry fist in the air. Some in the audience clapped and whistled while others booed and swore at him.

A particularly drunk individual staggered up to the ring and flung a bottle at the bear-man. The victor flung up his arm and bottle crashed into him, sopping his fur. He lowered his arm and growled at the drunk. The fool formerly of the bottle jeered at him. The bear-man rushed the edge of the ring and grabbed the man about the neck.

"If you will excuse me," Georgina spoke up. She strode over to the ring and frowned at the bear-man. "Put him down." The bear-man sneered at her. Her eyes narrowed, and I noticed something shifted beneath her hat. She grasped her hand in one hand. "Put. Him. Down."

The bear-man's eyes widened. He dropped the thrashing customer onto the floor and stumbled back. Georgina dropped her hand and helped her client back onto his feet.

The man hiccuped and goofily grinned at her. "Was I part of the show?"

She laughed as she guided him to an empty table. "You were, sir, and for your wonderful performance I will get you another beer."

He stumbled into a chair and raised his fist above his head. "Hooray!"

"One moment, sir." She returned to us and glanced at the man behind her. "See that he gets what he deserves."

The man nodded and walked over to the drunk. The drunk yelped when the silent man grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off his seat. "Hey! You can't-hiccup-do this to me!"

Georgina's hired man carried the drunk up the stairs and out of sight. She turned back to us and smiled. "Bert is not one for conversation, but he does get the job done, and he hunts for his own food."

"Your sister would be very displeased to learn about him," Simon commented.

Georgina's eyes flickered to him and she scowled. "My sister is rotting in prison for her poor judgment, along with her pet vampire. I try to avoid repeating her mistakes as much as possible." She took a deep breath and her smile returned. "But surely you haven't come here to talk about Lilith, or our pets."

Simon glanced around the room. "This is rather a delicate matter."

Georgina raised her palm towards us. "Say no more. Follow me."





CHAPTER 3





Georgina led us to the rear-left corner of the room. A door stood in the wall, and we entered a small, spartan office. There was a desk, a chair, a filing cabinet, and an air of business. A lit desk lamp was pointed at the empty chair. Georgina seated herself in the chair on the opposite side of the desk and leaned back.

"All right, shoot."

Simon led me up to the desk. "A unique item was stolen from an acquaintance, a skin of gold. We were curious to know if it has passed through any of your connections."

A sly smile slipped onto her lips. "You mean any of my Black Auction markets."

Simon bowed his head. "Yes."

She shrugged. "I suppose something did catch my attention within the last few days." She leaned forward and set her arms on the desk. Her careful eyes studied Simon. "What's your interest in the skin?"

"My acquaintance wishes for its return," he told her.

She scoffed. "I know you too well to believe that, Simon Cruor. There must be something very unique about this object to have you play the knight-in-shining armor for anyone." Her eyes fell on me and her lips curled higher into a sly grin. "Well, besides maybe your new pet."

"Then you did not purchase the skin?" Simon persisted.

Georgina leaned back and sighed. "You are most stubborn, Mr. Cruor. As for your question, no, I did not purchase the skin. They asked a ridiculous price for it. I told them to go to the Silver Snake. That idiot cousin of mine might buy something that overpriced." She paused and looked up at Simon. "Or was it overpriced?"

He smiled at her. "I will leave that for you to guess. Thank you for the information." He set his hand on my shoulder and turned us towards the door.

"Wait." We paused and looked back at Georgina. The desk lamp shone over her face with its long, snake-like smile. "I haven't properly thanked you for your information."

I heard the distinct sound of hissing a moment before Simon tackled me to the floor in front of the desk. The floor must have been mad at us because two hidden doors opened beneath us and we dropped into a black abyss. The fall was some fifty feet, and the hard stop was full of sharp bits of stone. My bruised body forced a whimper from my lips.

Simon grabbed me and pulled me out of the light of the open doors above us. Georgina's dark shadow appeared in the square light. "You may have survived the fall, Mr. Cruor, but there are more horrors in the sewers of this city than you can imagine. Good luck, and goodbye."

The doors shut with a hard clang. Simon set my shivering body on the rocky ground and knelt in front of me. His red eyes glowed in the dark light as he swept his gaze over my body.

"Are you hurt?" he asked me.

I shifted and winced. "Bruised, but not battered."

My inexperienced vampire eyes made out his white smile. "Good."

Simon turned away from me and looked out over the place we'd fallen. I followed his gaze and frowned. The stacks of rock were higher beneath the shut doors, but they spread out to the far corners of what was a large room.

"Where are we?" I asked him.

Simon stood and looked around us. "The lair of the gorgon."

I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He half-turned to me. "Can you see your seat?"

I looked down at the floor beneath me. The gray stone was a dark mass. "It's just rock, isn't it?"

Simon knelt in front of me and bit one of his fingers. The scent of blood hit my nostrils. I recoiled as he held his finger out to me. "Drink my blood."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Your eyes are not strong enough to see through the dark without more of my blood, and in the sewers of this city you must see the danger before it sees you."

I grimaced. "That's the only way?"

"Without more time, yes."

I took a deep breath and leaned toward him. My tongue flicked out and licked some of the blood from his finger. The sweet, full flavor of his blood rolled down my throat. Before I swallowed I was latched onto his finger and sucking away at his life force.

Simon pried me off him and pushed me away. I fell back and whimpered. He stood and cradled his finger in his other hand. "We can't afford for you to take more. Is your sight improved?"

I swallowed the last of the blood and tamped down the dissipating blood lust. My body was left with a distinct chill that sank into my bones. "Y-yeah, I can see better."

The stones around us were more clear. The countless blocks of stone were carved into human figures. I could make out long limbs, curly hair, folds of shirts and dresses. There was also the terrified expressions of people in the throws of agony.

I yelped and jumped to my feet. "What the hell is this?"

"The gorgon's victims," Simon told me.

I felt the color drain from my face. I pointed a shaking finger at the stone forms. "Y-you mean these people were-?"

He nodded. "Once alive, or even undead. She intended for us to be among their number and drop into this room." He pulled out his cellphone and frowned. "It seems my reception has at least joined the stone statues in death."

I ran a hand through my hair and shook my head. "You know, I could handle vampires, werewolves, and even ghosts, but a gorgon? Come on."

He swept his hand over the stone figures. "The proof is before you."

I shrank from the stone statues. My eyes darted from one frozen face to the other. I swallowed hard. "L-let's just say I believe you. Can we get out of here now?"

Simon swept his eyes over the room. His gaze fell on a wall to my left. He strode over and sidled up to the smooth gray surface. His palm slid over the metallic covering before he drew his hand back and slammed the bottom of his fist into the wall.

A thin, short door dropped outward and revealed a dark passage. I hurried over and leaned forward to cast my gaze into the black abyss of a long, curved-ceiling hallway that led left and right. Water trickled from the moldy walls and pooled in small depressions in the floor.

My eyes flickered to Simon. "Can't we ever find a nice, sunny path to walk down?"

A smile teased the corners of his lips. "That would hardly be beneficial to both of us. Now follow me."

He slipped through the door, but I hesitated. It was the way he used the plural that sent a chill down my spine. Simon paused in the middle of a hall and turned to me. "What is it?"

I half-turned back to the large, terrifying room. My eyes followed the wall to the ceiling and the trap door. I pursed my lips. "What did she mean when she said a few more bites and I didn't have to worry about my complexion?"

Simon's voice revealed an unusual level of strain. "This is neither the time nor place to discuss her words."