Page 78 of Blood Magic

Chapter Thirty-Two

I didn’t waste time arguing with him, lying to him, or trying to get him to leave. It would have done no good and besides, I could use the backup. True, he was human, and also true, I did not want him to see my wolf, but I was pretty sure he could take care of himself, and if I ended up shifting in front of him, that was just something we were going to have to deal with. I understood that he hunted supernaturals and that he was not above shanking a wolf in a dark alley, but if he saw me for what I was and came at me, I’d handle him. It wasn’t like he would tell the world about my wolf.

He wouldn’t have my back, not like Bastien would, but if I went into a vampire club to extract a human and kill some vamps, I could do worse than Remy Simon.

I caught Remy up on the situation. “I’m here to rescue a friend and kill the county master,” I told him.

“Not if I kill him first.” His smile was downright creepy and as always when I was around him, I had to fight not to shudder.

Bastien nodded at the guards to let us in but before I slipped into the club, I took a moment to stare into the inky sky at a moon that would soon be full—my first full moon since my alpha had given me back my shift—and closed my eyes to pull in the cool night air. It didn’t calm me, but calmness wasn’t what I was after. It made me feel almost…feral.

When I opened my eyes, both Bastien and Remy were watching me, different things in their stares.

“Scared?” Remy asked.

I smiled and was gratified when he recoiled just the tiniest bit. It was nice to know he was likely as affected by my inner badass as I was his. “Just gearing up,” I said.

And then we were inside the club, and the jangled sounds and chaotic sights slammed into me and battered my brain, but I was focused on the coming vampire fight, and unlike the last time I’d been here, I was not distracted.

My heart thumped with the intense bass beats, slow and hard. I was ready. Axton knew we were coming, of course. He would have been aware the second we stepped into his club. As we walked through the room, people in suits—bouncers, vampires all—stopped whatever they were doing and began to trail us.

Bastien’s shoulder brushed mine as we walked, but I didn’t pull away. Tonight, he was my ally. Tomorrow he could go back to being the vampire who’d fed from me, who’d tied us together through the magic in our blood.

I rested my fingers on the handle of my blade, the human part of me finding comfort in it. The wolf part couldn’t have cared less about a demon knife. She was all about the teeth and claws.

Once we’d shoved our way through the throngs of people, Bastien led me down the same hallways and stairs as the first time, but before we entered the underground club, he didn’t bother to suggest a mask.

It was as though Axton had wanted to shock the visitors he had to know were coming. The club was more crowded than the last time I’d seen it, and there were many more shocking sights. Not just naked humans being fed upon or in the middle of public sex, but people hanging from ropes, bloody and injured, and in some instances, a human sprawled upon the floor as several vampires swarmed, feeding and thrusting and grinning up at us.

“It’s for show,” Bastien said, when Remy growled and filled his hands with silver blades. “Do not let him get into your head.”

Axton wanted us to see what he could do—what he did do—to and with humans. His contempt was huge. His hatred was fierce.

“That’s okay,” I told Remy. “He dies tonight.”

He nodded. “He dies tonight.”

Axton was responsible for Remy’s sister’s death. He wasn’t going to let that go. The only question was if he could get to him before I did.

The council might regret asking me to join them when Axton lost his head, either by my hand or Remy’s, but when they discovered he’d taken a human in his attempt to regain control of his human slave…well, they might be a little more understanding. If not, screw ‘em. They wanted me to be their enforcer. If they didn’t like my tactics, they could change their minds.

I pulled my cell from my pocket and showed Bastien the image of the detective and the wall. “Take me to him.”

He nodded. “Put your phone away before they try to take it from you.”

I slid it back into my pocket. Remy and I walked side by side and Bastien walked slightly in front of us, leading us across the long, wide room. I didn’t see Axton anywhere, but I had a feeling he’d be waiting for me with Rick.

A few seconds later, two annoyingly large bouncers stepped into our path. “Bastien,” one of them said, “how about we get you someone to drink and your friends take a seat at a table.”

“How about you get out of my way,” Bastien answered, calm and quiet. “This is not your business, Sean.”

Sean inclined his head. “Our master tells me different.”

“And so it begins,” Remy murmured.

He and I spread out behind Bastien, and I took note of the vampires who were edging closer. “Which door, Bastien?” I asked. At the far end of the room there were four doors, and I figured Axton had the detective behind one of them.

I was wrong.