Tapping my foot, I glanced at my watch. I’d been in line for ten minutes, and I hated lines. If this had been a norm bar, I would’ve gone to the front and used my charm to skip the line. Vamp bars were no different in that respect, but these bouncers likely required more than some harmless flirtation and the vague promise of getting more later. They’d want blood.
I had no intention of giving any. Thomas Leroy had been my first boyfriend in high school. Both fifteen, the relationship lasted all of four days. He slobbered all over my face and stuck his tongue down my throat. The final straw had been when he left a giant hickey the size of a baseball on my neck. Since then, there’d been no interest of my part to ever have anything or anyone suck on my neck.
I checked my watch again. Eleven minutes. Eyeing the door guards, I wondered if there could be another way to get in that didn’t involve exchanging fluids of any kind. I checked behind me. Not many had joined the line, so it wouldn’t be a huge loss if I got turned away, but it would be humiliating. Everyone, including myself, laughed at girls who thought they were hot enough to skip the line only to get rejected.
The two male bouncers at the door didn’t look like they had any personality. Still, worth a try. I tucked my purse under my arm, tilted my chin up and walked to the front of the line. When I passed the women in line, they wore pissy looks, and I could tell without asking what they thought of me:
Who does she think she is?
She’s not that hot.
I bet she gets turned away.
“Hello, gentlemen,” I said. Planting both my feet firmly, I squared off. My body posture indicated this wasn’t an attempt at seduction or blood offer.
Both men turned their vacant expressions on me.
“Can we help you?” the one on the right asked. His name tag said Justin. He was a large black man. His teeth were pearly white and a sharp contrast to his dark skin. He had a French accent. I loved accents.
“I’m here on business,” I stated.
“Business with whom?” the vamp on the left asked. He had some sort of eastern European accent and looked the part with Slavic good looks. His name tag said Dmitri. How fitting.
“Not with, but for,” I said. They looked confused. “I’m here on business for Lucien,” I clarified.
Dmitri laughed. “Nice try,” he said.
“Anyone can throw the master vamp’s name around,” Justin said. “You’re not the first to try.”
“Ah, but I am on business for Lucien.”
Both Vampires shook their heads.
Sighing, I crossed my arms. I was not willing to admit defeat yet. “Did you hear what happened to Clint?” I asked.
The bouncers straightened up. Lucien’s name might be common knowledge, but his human servant’s was not. Justin gave an imperceptible nod.
“You are a part of Lucien’s horde, are you not?”
Another nod. This time from Dmitri.
“So you know the contractor was caught and brought before the horde two nights ago?”
“Yes,” Dmitri hissed.
“But neither of you were there,” I said.
Justin frowned. “How would you know that?”
“Because you would have recognized me.”
Their stances changed from relaxed and slightly bored to attentive. Being the unwavering focus of two large Vampires was unsettling. Not new or unexpected, but still caused my feras to pace in my head.
Kill. My cat hissed.
Let me out. My wolf demanded.
My falcon gave an indignant squawk. She wanted to spread her wings and fly free.
Sometimes I had to tune them out or I’d go crazy. Crazy with a side of fries.
“You?” Justin eyed me.
“Me,” I said. “And if you know what happened the other night, you’ll know that I was set on a task by Lucien. One that I don’t have time to wait for in line.” I indicated with my chin to the line behind me. The norms had no idea what was going on or the words we exchanged. We spoke softly, too low for their non-supe ears to hear.
The bouncers exchanged a look and as one, stood back to allow me admittance down the stairs. I smiled, happy that I didn’t have to take the next step of threatening them with Lucien’s discipline.
“Do you know the rules?” Justin asked.
“Yes,” I said and stalked down the spiral stairs to enter Hell.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The rules were simple. No prolonged eye contact, no exposed necks, no going into the private enclaves or down to the dungeons, and no agreeing to anything proposed by a Vampire, no matter how innocent it sounded. Of course, these weren’t the rules the lawyer told the awestruck norm patrons as he led them down the stairs. He made them verbally acknowledge the establishment would not and could not be held liable or accountable for anything that transpired within its grounds and the surrounding area up to a kilometer away. He also warned if they agreed to something, they had to follow through with it. The SRD and local police had no jurisdiction in a Vampire establishment when the food entered willingly. Come down here and you’re on your own.