Page 9

Chapter 8

Laughing All The Way

Silvana

I’d been running around the Court of Shadows for the last three weeks leaving bodies in my tracks, laughing all the way. The only time I’d stopped laughing was when the inane males didn’t give me the answers I desired. That just left me in a rage.

I’d been able to find Dryden’s daughter within the first week I’d been hunting. Rogan had been kind enough to hand over that information, thinking it would save his pathetic life. It didn’t. He ended up burnt to a crisp just like the others. Exactly where he belonged—dust in the wind.

Thankfully I’d been able to return her and two more girls back to their families. They were being kept as personal walking blood bags for the vampires there. They hadn’t eaten in days, were on the cusp of death, and would have severe trauma—but they were alive and home. Who’s to say what was worse? The vampires who were feeding on them were killed then and there. Quicker than I would’ve liked, but I had more pressing matters at the time. Plus, it felt healing for them to watch the males who hurt them die—slowly.

Tonight, though, I would be gracing The Midnight Run with my presence. Although it wasn’t the distillery downstairs that interested me or their on-tap blood bar they so happily advertised to my kind. No, I was more interested in the upstairs section. The part they think most people don’t know about—they may be correct in their assumption. I only knew about it because Cedar and I had rescued a few women and girls from here in the past.

The building itself was all dark brick on the outside with boarded-over windows that spoke to the number of bar altercations it had seen. The inside was dingy and dark but still maintained enough light with a few well-placed candles and comfortable furniture you could lounge on for hours.

I was angry with myself for taking almost a full moon cycle to make it here when it should’ve been one of my first stops.

Walking through the worn-down entrance, I headed straight to the male behind the bar. His face was just as worn down as the door. He was human, of course. His skin said he spent too much time in the sun in his youth. Not that I was judging him for that, but part of me wished to have that problem as well. No, my problem came from what he allowed to happen above his establishment for a bit of extra coin on the side.

The only reason he was still standing, blood flowing through his lousy veins, was because he gave me information quickly when I needed it. Such as now. Maybe tonight would be the night I drained him dry on my way out, though. I was feeling a bit spicy.

I didn’t speak as I stared him down from across the bartop. I didn’t feel as if I needed to, my eyes did the talking for me.

He fidgeted for a moment with the rag in his hands before looking down at the bar. “There are three upstairs,” he whispered for only my ears. Fucking coward.

“Three what exactly, Ed?” I said through my clenched teeth. Fuck, my fangs ached to drain him.

He quickly glanced up at me before averting his gaze. “Three of your kind. I don’t know how many gals they have with them. They just paid me enough for a couple of days and went off. Okay? No harm done.” His words tumbled out of his mouth so quickly that some of them were joined together.

“Don’t lump me in with that filth, Ed. You know better. Don’t send anyone else up, are we clear?” I stated plainly.

He nodded shakily, and I headed up the stairs behind the bar.

The upstairs was made of old wood and was just as dingy and unsanitary as the downstairs. I couldn’t stand it there and it reeked of sweat, unwilling sex, and despair. Maybe I’d kill Ed on the way out and finally burn the entire building to the ground. That could be a fun outlet for my pent-up rage.

Smiling at the thought, I let my senses roam the second level of the building. I could easily sense the three vampires Ed mentioned. Their heartbeats were slower than a human’s, and it was clear they only had one woman here with them. At least one woman with a pulse. Fates help them if I found any without.

Walking along the dark hallway, I passed two doors before coming to the one I knew they were behind. Listening for a moment, I paused.

“Maybe we should just change her now. You know that’s what they’ll want to do to her anyway. I want the honors,” one male stated.

“He’ll kill you and you know it. Just close your mouth already and tie her up. We need to head out soon,” another replied.

I shook my head in disbelief. If they had even the most basic of survival skills, they would’ve heard me come up the stairs, but that clearly wasn’t happening tonight. Deciding I’d heard more than enough, I pushed the door to the room open and took a moment to look them all over.

The woman was sitting in the far corner of the room, her wrists tied tightly in front of her. Her dark brown hair was the color of coffee grounds, and it lay matted and hanging in her eyes. She was completely naked, except for a dirty strip of fabric tied between her teeth to keep her from talking or screaming.

My gaze ran over the males quickly. They were all taller than me. Two were pale, one with dark brown hair like the woman, and the other with light red hair. The third was a bit darker in complexion with almost black hair.

Pulling a dagger out of my boot, I threw it into the heart of the one closest to me. The third male dropped like a rock to the floor while the other two immediately tried to rush me. Kicking the male with the red hair in the stomach, he crumbled while gasping for breath. I assumed he hadn’t learned how not to breathe yet. Oops.

I turned my attention to the brunette male. Pulling out my second dagger from my opposite boot, I smiled at him. I only had moments before the redhead recovered, so I knew I didn’t have time to fuck with him too much—as much as I’d love to.

“What the fuck do you want, bitch?” the brunette muttered, baring his fangs at me as if I should be scared of the grouchy male.

I felt my ice at my fingertips, just itching to be free.

He came closer, trying to grab me in a headlock and I let him. He squeezed his arm around my neck, and I started laughing as I grabbed him. He didn’t go for my knife—clearly not knowing it was made of shadow stone, thinking it was of no danger to him. Cocky male. I heard him hiss in my ear as if he was about to bite me, and I was not interested in that. Clutching his forearm, I let my magic flow out of my hand. I smiled as he stilled, trying to rip his arm away, but it was too late for that. Gripping the dagger still in my opposite hand, I stabbed him in the upper thigh before slipping from his grasp.

He fell to the ground; his unfrozen arm ripped the dagger from his thigh and threw it across the floor. Screams bellowed from his mouth and I laughed harder. I turned around and realized the redhead was gone. Fantastic. I’ll have to search for him later.

“You stupid bitch!” he screamed at me. He was rocking back and forth, probably thinking his thigh would heal quickly. It wouldn’t.

Walking across the room, I pulled my dagger from the first male’s chest and then picked my second dagger up off the floor where he’d tossed it. I wiped the blood on my leggings, silently thanking the Fates for creating such amazing black stretchy material. They were perfect for hiding bloodstains and fighting asshole males.

I let out a long breath through my nose and looked back over at the brunette male, who was looking at his leg, confused.

“It won’t heal. At least not quickly. I’d say if you’re well-fed, it would be healed by the end of the night. However, you won’t be alive by then, so I wouldn’t waste much thought on that idea,” I told him.

He looked over at me, anger clear in his eyes. “What do you want?”

“Well, for starters, I’m taking her with me.” I pointed to the woman who was still cowering in the corner of the room. “Secondly, I don’t have time to torture the information out of you, so any ideas where your redheaded best friend would go? If you tell me, I promise to make this next part quick.” I smiled.

I could tell he was giving it thought, but we both knew what he would do.

“Try the upper stories of The Arcane Theater. We all have rooms there. It’s the next spot we were to report to with the girl. He’ll probably try to gather reinforcements,” he replied quietly.

“Thanks, doll. You’ve been a major help.” I walked behind him and quickly slit his throat, letting my magic seep into the wound and keeping it fully open. I watched him bleed out on the floor. I guess it wasn’t over that quickly.

That would be a nice little gift for Ed to clean up later, though.

Wiping my blade off once again, I slid both back into their holsters and slowly walked over toward the girl. I had no idea what she had been through, but I knew I couldn’t leave her there alone.

I knelt in front of her and offered a small smile. “My name is Silvana. Can I help you take the binds off?”

She blinked a few times. Her eyes were a dark chocolate brown that matched her hair almost perfectly. She nodded her head, so I slowly reached over and pulled the rag from her mouth, leaving it loose around her neck. Then I reached down and untied the binds around her wrists. She quickly pulled her hands away, covering herself as well as she could.

“What’s your name?” I asked gently.

She looked up at me for a moment before finally speaking. “Alessandra. But you can just call me Allie.”

I offered her a small smile. “Okay, Allie. Well, as much fun as I’m sure we’ve both had, what do you say we get you cleaned up? There’s a bathroom across the hall and I can find you some clean clothes. I’ll take you somewhere safe, okay?”

She nodded her head and slowly rose to her feet. I grabbed a sheet from the bed against the wall and wrapped it around her body just in case Ed didn’t listen and someone came upstairs. Walking her across the hall, I closed the door behind us and started the bath for her. Thankfully the water was warm. Helping her inside, I found a clean cloth and soap for her to use.

“I’m going to lock the door behind me, but I’ll be right back with clothes, okay? I’m going to leave one of my daggers here with you. I’ll knock three times before opening the door. If anyone else comes through, throw the dagger as hard as you can. Can you do that?” Normally I wouldn’t leave a trauma victim with a weapon, but I wasn’t taking any risks, and I knew she’d feel better with clean clothes.

She nodded her head. “Three knocks, if not, throw hard. I’ve got it.” She set the dagger on the side of the tub beside where her hand was. She was smart. I loved her already.

I quickly left, locking the door behind me. I was able to find a dark green cotton dress in the room next to the bathroom. It would come just below her knees and should be comfortable enough for her. I would grab her shoes from the clothing boutique a few doors down from here when we leave.

Going back to the bathroom door, I knocked three times, unlocked the door, and walked in. Allie was still sitting in the tub with her knees pulled to her chest, the dagger in her hand.

“Can I help you get cleaned off? I brought you some clothes,” I offered. I knew she wouldn’t want to be touched, and I didn’t blame her. “I can wash your hair if that’ll help. Clean hair helps any problem.”

A small smile lit up her face. “My mother used to say the same thing. But I’d like the help, thank you.”

“Do you have any family?” I asked while I wet her hair and started to rub her scalp with some scented oils.

She was quiet and then shook her head after a moment. “No. Not anymore.”

I let the topic rest as I rinsed her hair out with fresh warm water. “I was able to find you a dress that should fit, and we’ll get you some shoes on the way out, okay?”

She nodded her head in confirmation and then grabbed my hand for a moment. Most people, I’d snap at for this. I truly didn’t enjoy being touched, but Allie didn’t bring out that side of me. I just wanted to take care of the little human. She was almost a full head shorter than me, and now that she was clean she appeared even younger than she did before.

“There is a man looking for you, Silvana. Your first thought will be to kill him, but give him a chance, okay? He isn’t like the rest.” Allie’s tone was gentle and quiet.

I stared at her for a moment, unsure where to go from there. “What do you mean, Allie?”

“The men—males who tried to take me, they knew that sometimes I just… Sometimes I know things. Things I shouldn’t always know. When I touch someone, things just pop into my brain about them. I can’t control what the things are or when it happens. I just know.” She looked away. “I know that there is a man—he’s a vampire too. He’ll come to you with dark magic. He wants to help you, and he can. You’re connected. So don’t kill him. Promise me, Silvana.” Her tone was filled with a sudden urgency, and I found myself nodding in confirmation.

“I won’t kill him, Allie. Don’t worry. Let’s get you dried off and out of his hellhole. Okay?”

She rose from the tub, and I handed her a dry towel.

I leaned against the door to give her space to dress when my mind wandered. A vampire with dark magic doesn’t narrow it down much in the Court of Shadows. Most of the vampires here with magic have shadow magic or the gift of necromancy. Most of the magic here is dark magic in some sort of way. So, here’s to hoping when I see this male, I’ll know somehow not to kill him.

Although I wasn’t exactly known as the let’s get to know you type before daggers flew from my hands.

* * *

A fter Allie was dressed and feeling a bit more put together, I headed downstairs to have a word with Ed. I grabbed her a small bowl of food to eat while I talked to him and directed her to a table away from the door where I could still keep an eye on her.

Sitting down on a barstool across from Ed, I smiled at him. But my smile spoke of no kindness.

“Tell me, Ed, why I shouldn’t lean across this bartop and drain you dry?” I asked quietly.

His face paled as he stumbled backward a step. “I-I-I— Well, I have information! So that may interest you.” I heard him swallow, and I just continued to stare. “There have been some people asking about you—with a drawing of your face. Asking who you are and where you’re from.”

Oh, well, that is news to me. “And who are these men, Ed? You’ll have to cough up more information than just that.”

His eyes darted around the bar before he moved back in closer to me. “They belong to the king of the court, miss.”

Internally I was rolling my eyes. We don’t have kings in Kostbare—we have rulers. But no one ever knows how to address these males. Ridiculous. I’d sooner slit my own throat than bow for any of those males.

That’s when it dawned on me. Allie said there was a man looking for me with dark magic. Really, she meant a male if he’s a vampire. What if it’s the ruler of the Court of Shadows? Was that insane? Sort of. But also not impossible, I guess.

“Well, Ed, it seems you won’t die right this moment. Lucky you.” I smirked and walked back toward Allie. Sitting down across from her, I eyed her warily. “Can I ask you a question?”

She put her spoon back down into her bowl and looked at me across the table. “Of course.”

Letting out a deep breath, I gritted my teeth, debating if I really wanted an answer to this. “You said there was a male looking for me—it didn’t happen to be the ruler of the court, did it? Would you know something like that?”

Allie tilted her head to the side a bit, eyeing me carefully. She reached across the table, took my hand in hers, and closed her eyes. I just let her. It was clear the woman had some sort of magic, and part of me was curious how much stronger it would be if she were turned. Some humans have been known to have magic. It was rare, but not unheard of. Most people just called them witches, but personally part of me wondered if they were somehow descended from vampires.

Vampires and humans have been known to procreate, and although it was incredibly rare, it had happened, according to the legends.

A small smile curved along Allie’s face. “I know where you can take me, Silvana. But try not to fret, we’ll be back together again soon.”

I sighed. “If it’s with him, I have a message I’m leaving you with.”