“I don’t know what to do.” I bite my lip and shift my gaze to a sleek black cat who’s standing patiently at my feet. Exhaling heavily, I grab the invitation and sink down onto the floor. Binx rubs his head against me and extends a paw, batting at the invitation.
“I know,” I say, agreeing with his thoughts. “I’ve worked this hard to move on and build my own life, and life has been pretty good.” I start to open the envelope and stop. “I’m pathetic, aren’t I? I’m just going to open it.”
Binx steps into my lap, purring. I open the invitation and let out a snort of laughter. “You’d think this was an invite to the Royal Wedding. I bet the food will be good at least.”
Binx steps into my lap and nuzzles his head against my face. “No, I don’t think you should go, though I’d love to take you.”
I read over the info once more and let it all sink in. I’d love to see my niece. I’ve never met her, and I feel all sorts of guilty over that. No one else in our family has powers, but if I do, there’s a chance this sweet little girl might too. And if she does, you bet your ass I’ll be there for her.
I pull out my phone and enter the return address on the envelope into a Google search and find the Zillow listing.
“Damn,” I whisper, seeing the price tag. The place is gorgeous, though I can see why Abby would want the kitchen renovated. I can handle the party. I’ll force Kristy to come with me as my date, and we’ll mingle near the buffet and avoid direct human contact. But seeing my father…I don’t know if I can handle that.
“I’ll just drive by it and see how I feel,” I tell Binx. “Baby steps, right? Because I know my sister and I need to RSVP sooner rather than later. She’ll be obsessing over it until she hears back from me.”
I stand and Binx weaves around my ankles, letting out a soft “meow.”
“Of course I’ll feed you first.” At the mention of food, two other cats appear in the kitchen. I open the fridge, taking out pieces of venison. It’s cooked rare, seasoned ever-so-slightly to appease each cat’s personal tastes.
“All right,” I tell them once their dishes are filled. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”
The bartender hands me my drink. It’s pink, smells like cucumbers, and is being served in a dainty little wine glass. The drink had some sort of stupid, trying-too-hard-to-be-hip name, but it’s made with vodka and that’s all I care about.
I bring it to my lips and take a big sip, feeling instant relief when the alcohol slides down my throat. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t face my family. I drove all the way up here, parked my Jeep on Abby’s street, and got out. I was going to walk by, get a read on the energy of the place.
But as I was crossing the street, my brother, Scott, came out of the house, talking and laughing with Abby’s husband, Phillip. And then I did something that hasn’t happened to me since my third year at Grim Gate Academy.
I panicked.
My heart dropped to the bottom of my chest and I spun around, walking as quickly as I could, not stopping until I stepped foot in this stupid, hipster bar. I’m going to have one drink, find something to eat, and then walk around the city, enjoying how easy it is to blend in until I’m good to drive home.
My mind slips and I get a flash of stark white walls, and pain prickles along the inside of my left arm from an infiltrated IV. I close my eyes, trying to force the memory away. I bring the drink to my lips again and suck it all down.
What the hell was I thinking?
I’m not going to that party. Yeah, I feel bad for my niece and even for Abby, but hell to the no. There’s no need to put myself in that situation.
“Excuse me,” a man says, sliding up onto the barstool next to me the moment it’s free. I turn, more than aware that my resting bitch face is on in full force right now.
“Uh, hi.”
The guy scoots his stool in a little and laughs. He’s decent looking, a little overweight, and has put way too much cologne on. “My buddies bet me fifty bucks that I’d be too scared to come up and talk to the most beautiful girl in the bar. So…should I buy you a drink with their money?”
I laugh. That line was so lame it might just work. On someone else, that is. Because this guy screams I watch horror movies with the lights on. There’s no way he could handle me.
“You know what?” I start. “I’ve had a rough night. So sure, but I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. I’m leaving alone tonight.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Maybe I can change your mind.” The words leave his mouth and then he realizes how forward he just was. A flush covers his cheeks and it’s more than a little cute. “Sorry you had a rough night.”
“Thanks.”
He waves the bartender down and orders me another one of these silly pink drinks.
“I’m Gavin.”
“Callie.”
“So, want to talk about what happened tonight?”
“I’d rather just forget.” I offer a smile. “So, Gavin, what do you do for a living?”
He tells me all about his job in IT, and my mind wanders, half paying attention to what he’s saying and half contemplating which potion I should mix up when I get home. It’s always good to have a banishing potion on hand, and the one in my cabinet is getting a little stale, losing its potency. The bartender brings the drink, and I down this one just as fast as the first.
After a bit more conversation, he gets me to come out to the dance floor with him, promising to keep things friendly. Kristy and I used to go out dancing at least once a month years ago, but we haven’t in a while, and I miss it.
Three songs later, and my bad mood has lifted. Gavin and I join his friends at a table at the back of the bar, and we order another round of drinks. I sip on another pink cucumber vodka whatever, realizing now that these things are rather strong.
And I haven’t eaten since lunch.
I leave Gavin and his little group of friends to use the bathroom. After I pee, I wobble my way through the crowd, wanting to order a water. And then I feel it.
A different energy coming from the opposite corner of the room. Different, but I know exactly what it is.
Vampire.
Stopping dead in my tracks, I whirl around and look around the bar. Everything spins a little, but I spot him easily. He’s bent over, looking into the eyes of a young woman. She stands, transfixed, and my jaw almost drops.
Drunk Callie’s poker face is not on point.
Only the really old ones have the power to hold their victims spellbound. And most of the old vampires died off years ago. The resurgence of the vampires is part of what led to them coming out. The originals would never have allowed it.
Reaching into my purse, I feel around for a weapon. I have the usual: a silver dagger, a vial full of vanquishing potion, a few crystals, and a little baggie of black salt. A silver-tipped wooden stake is the go-to weapon of choice for killing vampires, but it’s not a requirement for me…assuming I can conjure up enough energy to burn one from the inside out.
By the looks of it, this vampire is about to lead that pretty little blonde out of the bar and then feast on her blood. The poor girl nods at whatever the vampire said to her and she moves forward, following him.
I push through a group of bachelorettes doing a conga line, almost losing the vamp in the crowd. Then I see him right before he disappears with the girl through a set of swinging black doors.
Breaking into a run, I wrap my fingers around the dagger, ready to pull it out and throw it at the vamp. The door gives way to a dark hall and then a set of stairs going down into the basement. I go down the stone steps as fast as I can and pull out the dagger.
“Hey!” I shout, narrowing my eyes to see in the dark. The vampire already has his fangs sunk into the girl’s neck. She’s pinned up against a wall, and he has one hand covering her mouth to muffle her screams.
The vampire jerks away, mouth open and fangs showing. Blood drips down his chin.
“Let her go,” I warn and the vamp steps a
way.
“Are you volunteering to take her place?” he sneers.
“Sure,” I say and throw the dagger. It hits him square in the chest, and while the silver blade won’t kill him, it’ll hurt like hell. Especially since it’s enchanted. I extend my hand, fueling the blade with magic, sending pulses of energy through him. The pain brings him to his knees, making him twitch as the magic continually ripples through his body.
“Go,” I tell the girl who’s blinking and trying to figure out what’s going on. She clamps her hand over her neck to stop the bleeding. “Get someone to call 911.” She pushes off the wall and staggers past me.
“That won’t be necessary,” a deep voice comes from the stairwell behind me.
Oh shit.
More vampires.
Keeping one hand extended to fuel the dagger, I turn and lock eyes with a tall and intimidating man.
Only, he’s not a man.
He’s a vampire.
I can tell just by the sight of him. He sucks all the air out of the room, and it’s not because he needs it. He hasn’t taken a breath in years. In centuries. The energy coming off of him is unlike anything I’ve felt before.
He makes the vampire on his knees in front of me seem like a newborn, and for some reason, I can’t stop staring at him. He’s tall and muscular, with a sharp jawline covered in the perfect five o’clock shadow
Another vampire is behind him, with her arms crossed, looking more bored and annoyed than anything else.
“What is going on here?” the tall, dark, and old vampire asks. He also seems bored, like he thinks he can swoop down here with his fancy vampire speed and take me out. Well, I’ve got a surprise for—my stomach gurgles. Dammit. I suck in a breath, swallow the lump in my throat and regret that last drink.
“Vampires feeding on unwilling humans,” I say through gritted teeth. I’m drunk and surrounded by three vampires. I’ve had worse odds…I think. Okay, maybe not. I think I can handle myself, but I’d rather not take my chances. I throw my hand in the old vamp’s direction, sending the enchanted dagger flying into his chest.
Only, he catches it.
Son of a bitch.
“Interesting,” he says, holding the dagger between two fingers.
“She’s…she’s a…a…witch,” the other male vampire says, slumping to the ground.
“You’re just now figuring that out?” the old vampire retorts. He’s dressed in all black, and his dark hair is effortlessly swept back. I’d be blind not to see the beauty of this lifeless man standing in front of me. “And a powerful one at that. You’re lucky, Adam. She could have killed you.”
“Kill her!” Adam says and gets to his feet. He tries to come at me, but I send a jolt of energy through him, coming raw off my hand. It hits him in the chest and sizzles through his body. He slumps down, convulsing as the energy blast ripples through him.
I conjure up another ball of energy and narrow my eyes, looking at the vampires on the stairs. The female sidesteps behind the old vamp, eyes wide.
“I suggest you let the human go and get medical attention.” I bring my hand up a bit more, trying to look threatening. Really, though, I’m hoping I don’t puke all over my shoes.
“You…you’ve got to get her…Lucas,” Adam pants, trying to get to his feet again.
Lucas, seemingly pissed that I now know his name, zooms down the rest of the stairs and over to Adam. My heart skips a beat, but I hold steady, impressed with myself for how well I’m holding onto this energy ball.
“Is what she’s saying true?” Lucas demands, grabbing the collar of Adam’s shirt. He picks him up as if he weighs nothing. “Did you feed off a human without consent?”
“I…I…she wouldn’t have said anything. I had her spellbound.”
Lucas shoves Adam against the wall and then plunges the dagger into his chest. He tips his head, almost as if he’s confused.
“This didn’t kill him.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” I spit. “It won’t. But it will do this.” I redirect my focus on it and waves of energy start rippling through Adam’s body again.
“I like it,” Lucas says dryly. He steps back, looking me up and down. There’s something intimate in his gaze, like he’s mentally stripping me down in front of everyone, wondering what each and every curve of my body looks like without clothes on.
I might be curious about him too. Just maybe. A little. Because he’s all hardness and muscle with a face the gods themselves would be jealous of. And then our eyes meet and something indiscernible passes through me.
Lucas stiffens, making me think he felt it too.
Then he moves with vamp speed, scooping up the blonde girl and handing her to the female vampire.
“Take care of her,” he tells the other vamp. “Discreetly.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I snap.
“It means, take her into the office and patch her up. I have a reputation to maintain and do not want to lose business over a vampire attack at my bar.”
I let out a snort of laughter. “You own this hipster place?”
Lucas raises one eyebrow and it’s all I can do but quiver with lust. “Yes. It’s one of the many establishments I own.” He avoids my gaze and looks at Adam. “Do what you want with him. Or leave him for me to deal with.”
Something tells me whatever Lucas is going to do will be way worse than death.
I twist my wrist, and the dagger turns inside Adam’s chest. I send the energy ball I was holding into him, and the blast knocks Adam unconscious. He’ll be out for a few hours at least.
“Hey,” I start, looking at Lucas. But he moves by in a blur, going back up the stairs. “Immortal asshole,” I mutter, going over to Adam’s body. I pull my dagger from his chest, wipe off the blood, and put it back in my purse.
I go upstairs and into the bar, needing to check on the girl to make sure she’s really okay. It takes me a minute of stumbling around this crowded place to find the office. The door is locked, but that’s not an issue for me.
Only it is, because I’m wobbling a bit. It takes three attempts to magically unlock the door. But hey, I got it open, right?
“What the fuck?” The female vampire looks up from the girl she’s attending to. A first aid kit is open on a desk and she’s very carefully wiped up the blood dripping from the blonde girl’s neck. A blood-stained rag is in the trash, and I wonder how she’s able to resist the scent of blood. How she’s able to control herself.
“You should go,” the female vampire says. She has a faint British accent. “If you know what’s good for you.”
“The funny thing is, I have a bad habit of doing the exact opposite of what’s good for me.”
“I’m beginning to sense that,” Lucas says, appearing behind me. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, but not from fear. There’s something about him that’s different, alluring even. I run my eyes over him, telling myself I’m sizing him up in case of a fight, not checking him out.
And that second sweep I do where my eyes just happen to pause for a millisecond on the bulge in his pants…yeah…that’s for my own safety too.
But then my eyes meet his and I see that he’s looking at me the same way, only he really is sizing me up.
“Never seen a witch before?” I retort, putting a hand on my hip.
“Oh, I have.” He towers over me, standing several inches past six feet tall. He has pounds of muscle beneath his t-shirt, making me wonder what he did before he was turned into a vampire. “Drank from one too. But you,” he steps in and inhales. “You don’t smell like the other witches I’ve come across.”
I roll my eyes. “If this is the part where you tell me my blood is special and you can’t resist the scent, save it. I’m not a teen girl from a romance novel. I’ll kill you before you can get your fangs out.”
Lucas pulls his lips back in a snarl, revealing two very long and very pointy fangs. The blonde girl whimpers. “Oh, really?”
I sway on my feet. ?
??I can still kill you.”
Lucas looks over my shoulder at the female vampire. “Are you done?”
“Just about,” she tells him, standing and closing the first aid box. “What should we do about her memory?”
“I’ll take care of it,” Lucas says.
“Like hell you will,” I spit, magic sparking around my fingers. The female vampire stills and slinks back against the wall.
Lucas rounds on me, moving so fast it’s like he just appears in front of me, looming overhead. He brings his head down and I swallow hard, forcing myself to take a slow, deep breath.
I can handle him. I think. Maybe. On another day when I’m better prepared…and not drunk. The energy coming off him is ancient, and I want to run away from it as much as I want to hold my hand out and try to get a better read.
“I can’t very well have her go around telling people she was attacked in my bar. And she knows you’re a witch. Don’t you witches want to stick to the shadows, cowering from humans?”
He’s right, and the vampires coming out puts every single coven on edge. “I can handle her memory.”
Lucas raises an eyebrow skeptically. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
I narrow my eyes ever so slightly and give him a tight smile. “Watch and maybe you can learn a thing or two.”
Lucas lets out a snort of laughter, generally amused. “Yes, the twenty-something-year-old witch can teach me something.”
“What’s your name?” I ask the blonde girl who’s on the verge of tears.
“St-Stephanie,” she mumbles.
“Hi, Stephanie.” I offer a small smile. “I’m Callie.”
“You…you saved me.”
I crouch down in front of the chair she’s sitting in and take her hand. “Yeah. I did.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I tighten my fingers around her wrist, feeling her pulse under my index finger. One…two…three. “Were you having fun before that undead dick attacked you?”