The young kid blushed, eyes bright with my power as he muttered an apology, then slipped into the car without another word or longing gaze.
“Did you forget about the part where the witches asked you to stop messing with the humans, Ms. Lucinda?” Neva asked as I joined her on the sidewalk and skipped the line, but I ignored the question. It was time to play my part.
Gregory, the beast of a man who guarded the entrance, gave me a once-over. “Lucy, it’s been a while.” He glanced at his watch. “And you’re here earlier than normal. Leaves more time for trouble.”
I offered a sultry smile. “I know, but I just have a quick thing inside, and I won’t cause a scene.”
He grimaced. “That’s what you said last time.”
“But I promise this time. In and out, like I was never even here.” Sometimes I preferred to use force and magic to get what I wanted, and other times it was suitable to simply make acquaintances. I knew the moment I stepped into LA two years ago that it was going to be my home—the hotel-hopping could only work for so long. So, while I’d caused some commotions here and there with the humans, I’d also managed to make some allies along the way.
He rubbed a hand over his bald head. “Alright, go on in.”
Pulling a hundred from my corset, I ran the edges of the bill down his cheek before tucking it into the pocket of his silk shirt. “You’re the best, Gregory.”
His light skin blushed as he moved the rope out of the way and allowed us in. Others still in line complained, but he yelled at them to shut it, and I grinned. I’d made the right call when adding a club bouncer to my list of people I liked.
Neva took in the heavy atmosphere of alcohol and sexual tension with a dash of magic while I searched the booths and couches for the mark. Half of the club was filled with humans and the other with supernaturals. Ignoring those who didn’t give off a magical presence, my eyes traveled around the dimly lit room. I caught glimpses of a few witches, several shifters, and a handful of vampires, but not the one from the picture.
A waitress walked up to us, carrying a tray of empty glasses. “Would you like me to find you a table, Ms. Morrow?”
I waved my hand dismissively. “No, we’re not ready to sit just yet.”
Her face scrunched in confusion, but I didn’t have time to explain myself to a human who wouldn’t understand anyway. I grabbed on to Neva’s hand and pulled her toward the bar where we wouldn’t stand out so much. “Stay close to me. Once we spot him, this should move quickly.”
Even under the dim lights, I could see her eyes widen and knew she was already overwhelmed. She could wrangle supernaturals on a smaller scale just fine when organizing my assignments, but being crammed into a building with a couple hundred people and pulsing music was a different story.
Wind blew across my neck, and my indigo hair brushed across my shoulder. There were no open windows in the club that I’d spotted, and no fans graced the ceiling above me, which left me to believe someone was using magic.
I searched the area, not only for the vampire, but for anyone paying too much attention to us. Nothing stood out, and the bar was still devoid of one vampire named Dante. A growl of frustration built in my chest.
If I was a dirty bloodsucker looking for an easy mark, where would I be?
Neva tugged on my hand. “What’s in the back corner over there?”
I followed where she nodded and saw there was a new addition to the club since I’d last been. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
The elf didn’t argue, but also didn’t take her eyes off me as I moved through the crowd. A man approached me when I was halfway to the exit. “Hey there, sugar.”
I was pretty sure he meant to purr the words, but instead his voice was obnoxiously low with an irritating wheeze.
“Not tonight, fleabag.”
He grabbed my arm. “Oh, come on, sweetheart. You didn’t come here dressed like that to go home alone.”
I moved closer and lowered my voice. “If you want to keep your hand and balls, I suggest you let go of me right the hell now. And if I catch you harassing another woman because she felt the need to dress up for a fun night out, I will find you, then make sure you know how it feels to be the victim of a predator.”
His eyes glazed over in fear, but he’d yet to release his hold on me. I moved in closer, wanting to make my point and move on, and grabbed the collar of his button up shirt. “If you think I’m kidding, ask Gregory about Lucy.” Then, I shoved the human trash away and he stumbled to the floor, but I didn’t stick around long enough to see if he got up.
Instead, I beat my darkness back into submission that the scumbag had caused to rise, once again begging me to kill. I wouldn’t be ready to unleash the inner me until we had Dante in hand, so I focused back on the task of finding out what was beyond the door I could now see people moving in and out of. Once I made my way past the bumping and grinding of people, I found myself in an outside bar of sorts and wondered if that was where the wind I’d felt before had been from.
Before I could ponder too much about it, I found who I’d come for. The vampire sat in a corner with a human in his lap. Her eyes were foggy from his magic, and I knew if I didn’t act soon, she’d be too much of a distraction to get his attention in the way I wanted.
They stood from their spot, and I retreated back to the door. The redhead could barely walk on her own in four-inch heels and the tight black dress she had on, but I knew that wasn’t the only thing hindering her ability to stand straight.
I hadn’t counted on Dante already having made his mark for the night, but it wouldn’t stop me. Vampires weren’t the only predator expert at luring in their prey. Plus, I’d promised Gregory I wouldn’t make a scene, so it was time to see how good my corset really worked.
When the group of humans ahead of the vampire moved through the exit, I positioned myself in the doorway. With my back pressed against one side and my left leg up, I pressed my heeled boot against the frame, effectively blocking it while undoing the top button to my corset. Black lace peeked out, and I tousled my hair just enough to hopefully call attention to what I wanted Dante to believe I was offering.
I was pretending to play on my phone when a throat cleared, but I didn’t move from my post. I knew I was drawing the attention of others around us, but Dante’s was the only one I was truly concerned with. I wanted him nice and riled up before I gave him my full attention.
He pushed against my foot, but it didn’t budge. “Are you going to move or is being a bitch your only goal tonight?” Dante snarled with an accent I couldn’t place.
I bit my lip and slowly glanced up while using one hand to tuck strands of indigo hair behind my ear. “Oh, am I in your way? Silly me.” Slowly, I drew my leg down, watching Dante and confirming it was him by the scar above his eye.
Once I was back on two feet, I moved in closer, giving him the full effect of what I wanted him to think he could have by adding a little magic to the shock that flowed between us as I purposely brushed my body against his while moving out of his way.
His sharp intake of breath told me everything I needed to know. “Who are you?” he asked, barely holding on to the girl he should have been taking better care of.
Vampires were allowed to feed on the humans as long as they didn’t leave a mess behind and made them forget about the experience. The majority of humans didn’t know about us, and we liked it that way. At least, most of us did.