Page 9

In his spare, non-hunting rogue fae time, Bryan operated one of two vampire clubs in Vegas. Despite their fear of vampires, humans couldn’t help their attraction to them. It was part of the vampire’s lure. There were some, like the people in the Organization, who said copulating with vampires was a sin, that vampires were the devil’s spawn, tempting the innocent into hell.

Then there was the general public who enjoyed the sexual fulfillment vampires provided, fulfillment that some couldn’t get from their human partners.

The clubs were opened for that purpose. To fulfill the humans’ darkest, deepest sexual fantasies. There were strict rules such as no killing, no turning, and no enslavement. The club owners enforced those rules. More often than not, Julian was involved.

“A few,” Bryan said. “It’s easy to spot military training. Also, they haven’t made any effort to be inconspicuous. They order a drink and sit for a few hours, memorizing every detail. I’ve talked to a few other club owners, and they all report seeing similar things.“

“They’re planning something for the Gathering.” Julian gazed out the window at the flashing neon lights in the entertainment district. He hadn’t wanted to rule Vegas. The other Councilors had given him the task. Maybe because he’d been in the city since its inception. After a century, he’d become rather protective of it. It was a part of him.

He wouldn’t allow anyone to destroy what he had worked so hard to build.

“As long as they don’t destroy the shields, we’ll be okay,” Bryan said.

Julian nodded. The shields protected their kind during the day. As long as the shields functioned properly, there was nothing the Organization could do to destroy Vegas minus a nuclear bomb.

It was the humans Julian worried about. If the Organization murdered any of the human diplomats and pinned the blame on vampires, they would be in trouble.

They’d worked hard for peace. Though there were flare-ups here and there, the humans had mostly accepted vampires into society. If the Organization ruined that, Julian didn’t want to think of the consequences.

“Do you want me to take care of them?” Bryan swirled the ice in his drink, his gaze hard despite the nonchalance.

“Have you told Marek?”

Marek was Vegas’ Head of Vampire Security and Julian’s second in command. He was almost as old as Julian and had wanted Julian’s position when their kind had built the Towers and taken over Vegas. In the beginning, Julian had reservations when the other Councilors appointed Marek for this job. Yet, after all the shit they’d lived through in the last century, Julian couldn’t have wished for a better second.

“Yeah. He’s looking into it, but you know how he is. Doesn’t trust an old fae like me.” Bryan flashed a feline grin.

“That’s because he’s not stupid.”

“That’s all I have for you.” Bryan stood up and stretched. “Time to see if anyone’s trashed the club yet.”

“Thanks. I’ll talk to Marek.” He wanted to go see Leah first and make sure that everyone in the Tower knew she was his.

No. That’s madness.If he saw her, he wasn’t sure he could stop himself from claiming her. Instead, he said, “Wait, I’ll come with you. I need to fly anyway.”

Bryan eyed him for a second and nodded. “Fine. I’ll see you at Cherie’s. Try not to kill anyone. The Flying Lotus is still recovering from your last visit.”

Julian rolled his eyes. “Tell your vamps not to challenge my authority in public.”

He pressed a button on his desk. The glass wall retracted upward. Julian shrugged off his shirt and grimaced as he pushed the wings out from his upper back. When not needed, their wings retracted into their body, leaving no evidence of their existence. As Vegas’ mayor, he’d granted permission for a scientific study to understand how their wings worked, with strict rules ensuring both human and vampire safety.

Once his wings were fully spread, he flapped them once, twice, testing the air and the feel of the wind.

“See you there,” he said and jumped off the ledge.

Leah sank into her bed, her legs rubbery. She’d gone through the place twice just to confirm she wasn’t dreaming.

Her quarters, not her room, but herquarters, included a living room, a bedroom, a walk-in closet filled to the brim with designer clothes she could only dream of, and a bathroom with a tub large enough for two people. The living room had an electric fireplace and an HDTV with a surround sound system. The bed was soft and fluffy. She bounced on it and giggled. It was a king-sized bed, vast compared to her cot at the Compound.

She’d never had this much space to herself. In the Compound, she’d shared a twelve-by-twelve room with another girl. They’d had public bathrooms and bi-weekly baths in a communal bathtub. Though she’d stayed in the dorms during college, the housing at school had been like the Compound.

Leah couldn’t stay still. She jumped up, a stupid grin on her face, and twirled. If the other girls could see her now!

She ran back to the walk-in closet and rifled through the clothes. Gucci. Prada. She hoped she could take some once her time here was over.

Enjoying yourself?At the sound of the smug voice slithering in her mind, Leah stopped. Like the illusion it was, her happiness shattered like a mirror. What was she doing? Trying on new clothes that vampires had bought for her? How could she forget her purpose?

Dmitri.Leah dropped the clothes.Have you been spying on me all this time?