Page 42 of Visions of You

Silence.

He pressed it again, more insistently this time.

He pressed it a third time.

A crackling voice broke through the quiet. "We're closed, come back at dusk," a disgruntled vampire lady said.

Jaron leaned closer to the intercom. "I need to speak with Keegan," he said. "It's important."

"Keegan doesn't keep daylight hours," the vampire snapped, irritation evident even through the static.

"I'm Jaron Tymera," he persisted, "Keegan's mate. Please, let me in."

A long pause followed before the vampire spoke again. "Keegan's what now?"

"His mate," Jaron repeated, louder this time, hoping to convey the urgency without sounding desperate.

The vampire on the other end of the intercom muttered something about Keegan and his stupid plans always bringing trouble. A series of clicks and whirs sounded before the door slowly slid open with a reluctant groan.

"Thank you," Jaron called into the intercom as he stepped inside.

"Yeah, whatever," came the grumbled reply before the connection cut off.

The nightclub was a different world without its pulsing lights and thrumming music. It looked almost mundane now, if a little gloomy. The vampire who'd let him in stood by the bar, polishing glasses. Jaron recognized her as the vampire who'd been behind the bar when he'd been talking to Mordyn. Vitra. She was probably preparing for the club's opening later, and she wasn't happy to have been disturbed.

Jaron approached her. "Where can I find Keegan?"

"You're really his mate?" She eyed him suspiciously.

He held out both hands in a placatory gesture. "I promise, we're mates and I just really need to see him. It's important."

The vampire studied him for another moment. "So you're the reason he's been up all day?" She frowned. "You're not causing him trouble, are you?"

"I wouldn't!" Jaron defended himself quickly. He never meant Keegan any harm, and if the vampire wasn't sleeping, wellthat was probably because of that vision that scared him. That wastangentiallyrelated to Jaron, but it wasn't really his fault.

It was good, though, that Keegan had a family that worried about him.

Jaron smiled at the vampire.

She responded by eyeing him even more suspiciously. "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing," Jaron said hastily, schooling his features. "It's just nice that you're all looking out for each other."

"We're coven," she said simply.

Jaron nodded, accepting this explanation.

She eyed him for a moment longer before she turned her attention to her task again, wiping at an invisible stain on one of the wine glasses. After a few seconds of silence and Jaron hovering awkwardly beside her, she let out a huff of exasperation and put the glass down. "Follow me," she said. "I'll take you downstairs."

Vitra led Jaron down a staircase, their footsteps echoing in the narrow space. She stopped in front of a nondescript door and rapped her knuckles against it. "Hey, Keegan, you up?"

No response.

She knocked again, harder this time. "C'mon, I know you don't sleep that long."

A muffled grumble that sounded suspiciously like "go away" filtered through the door.

Vitra rolled her eyes. "This dragon who claims he's your mate showed up."