Bad Blood (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 3) (32 page)

He took my arm and led me gently towards the bar.

“Have a drink tonight,” he said. “Just one to relax.”

“I don’t find alcohol relaxing,” I said.

“Try a glass of red wine. It’s what my mom has every evening to ensure a good night’s rest. Red before bed.” Dante winked.

“Maybe just one glass to sip while I’m waiting alone.”

“Hopefully you won’t be alone for long,” he said.

We crossed the room to the bar. Rather than take a seat, I leaned against the counter. The bartender frowned when he saw me.

“I promise not to spill anything this time,” I said, attempting to joke, but he didn’t crack even a small smile.

Instead, he turned to Dante. “Would you like another Rodenbach?”

“Good memory,” Dante said. “But no, I’m heading upstairs soon. I’d like to order a glass of red wine for my girl here—something relaxing.”

“Absolutely,” the bartender replied, sounding slightly more enthused. “Might I suggest a glass of Merlot?”

Dante looked at me, and I nodded. “That sounds fine.”

While the bartender’s back was turned to us, Valerie sauntered over, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she leaned against the counter beside Dante.

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith, how nice of you to show up,” she said.

Dante grinned. “You miss us?”

“Not at all.”

Dante smirked. “Did you run into some trouble at the door?”

Valerie huffed. “The butler felt me up and confiscated my brass knuckles, pistol, and pepper spray.”

“He still let you in?” I asked in disbelief.

Valerie lifted one bare shoulder.

“I told him it’s for my own protection, and he assured me there was no safer place than one of Diederick’s tastings.” Valerie’s lips formed a momentary pout. “He promised to return all my things on my way out. He better unless he wants to pay for all new replacements.”

I held back a sigh. Way to be inconspicuous, Val.

She waved her hand in the air. “Anyway, I came over to tell you that Paul over there owns this mansion.”

Valerie’s smile rose sharply when my jaw dropped.

“That’s right, this is all his,” she said, shaking out her hair behind her. “He’s giving me a private tour. Diederick might be able to make the rules during tastings, but Paul can take me wherever he wants, including a look-see upstairs.”

I shook my head slightly. Only Valerie could pull off something like this.

The bartender returned with a large wineglass, not quite half full.

“Enjoy,” he said quickly before turning away.

“You’re not going to walk in on people while they’re tasting, are you?” Dante asked.

Valerie’s pupils slid sideways to look at Dante. She smirked. “Don’t worry, Don Juan. We’re not going to bust in on you going oral on some hooch. Paul’s just gonna show me around. If one of the rooms happens to be unoccupied, I can have a quick look.”

I wondered what they used to signal a room was in use. Probably not a silver bat.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for my private tour.” Valerie did a graceful pivot and headed back to Mr. Money Bags.

Dante rapped the countertop with his knuckle. “I better get upstairs before those two start holding up rooms. Will you be okay?”

I lifted my glass. “Got my own wine tasting.”

Dante touched my arm. “Text me your final location. I’ll pick you up stat.” He leaned forward, lips inches from my ear. “Good luck, Aurora. Be safe.”

I nodded once.

“You, too,” I said. “Good luck.”

Dante leaned back and quirked a brow. “Good luck sucking blood?”

I shrugged. “You never know when a drunk wine girl might get out of hand.”

He chuckled as he headed out. Despite his wanting to beat Valerie upstairs, she had a minute lead on him. Maybe Paul would start with the middle floor. Meanwhile, I had the bar to myself.

I took a small sip.

“Looks smooth, though I imagine it’s missing a hint of iron,” a man said behind me.

My head snapped to attention. I would have recognized that voice anywhere. I turned and faced Fane’s smirk.

“Aurora Sky,” he drawled in that maddening tone of his.

I really ought to keep away from open bars. Scratch that. I should stay away from vampire gatherings completely.

15

Fane’s idea of dressing up appeared to be a solid black long-sleeved button-up top—open at the neck—untucked over a pair of dark blue jeans. Black was back.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded.

“A little birdie told me where to find you. Plus, there’s supposedly a 2001 Sandrone Cannubi Boschis Nebbiolo on the menu tonight. Barolo is one of the world’s greatest red wines.”

“Snob,” I said.

Fane looked at the bartender. “I’ll have what she’s having.”

The bartender nodded and turned away.

Fane set an elbow near mine on the counter.

I pulled my arm away.

Fane nodded in the direction of the king in his corner, once more flanked by his loyal subjects. “Diederick’s been trying to get me on the list for over a year.”

“How noble of you to resist,” I said sarcastically.

“This isn’t really my thing, but I made an exception for you. Thanks,” he said when the bartender handed him a glass of red wine.

Little alarm bells went off inside me. I shouldn’t be standing around making chitchat with Fane Donado. Dante and Valerie were upstairs and I was on assignment.

Fane raised his glass toward me. Like I was really going to make a toast with him.

“Does Joss know you’re spending his hard earned cash on one night of drinking?” I asked.

Fane’s roommate wasn’t pleasant, but I imagine he worked hard to keep a roof over their heads and blood in the fridge while Fane went off and played high school delinquent.

Fane smirked. “What Joss doesn’t know won’t kill him.”

I frowned. God, he was maddening.

“We can’t be seen together,” I said.

“Why not?”

“Valerie and Dante are upstairs.”

Fane frowned for the first time. Good, maybe he was beginning to realize the seriousness of the situation.

“If anything happens here tonight, you are going to be in very big trouble, Aurora. Diederick doesn’t mess around.”

I caught the slight shake of Fane’s head as I took a sip of wine.

“Sometimes I think you have a death wish,” Fane said.

I moved the wine in a circle on the counter. I made sure the bartender was out of earshot before speaking into the glass. “I’m dead either way. If vampires don’t get me, my organization will. As long as I do what I’m told, I get to see another day.” I looked Fane in the eyes. “You’re wrong, Fane. I don’t have a death wish. I want to live.”

“If you want to live, we should be working together.”

I snorted. A vampire hunter team up with a vampire? That would be the day. And as much as I wanted it, I’d never be free. Melcher had too many resources. He had his own headquarters on base, a boot camp set up in the desert. If I deserted, he could set any number of recruits on me.

“That’s never going to happen,” I said.

My cage might be wider than the ones on base, but it was a cage nonetheless, and there was no escaping those bars. Without the agency, I’d have no antidote. Without the antidote, I’d turn into a vampire, possibly a drooling madwoman with no sense of reason. That, or I’d become a target, to say nothing of my family. What would happen to them?

Fane moved in closer. I was tall, but he stood a full three inches taller than I did. His eyes slid past my nose to my lips.

“I can be very persistent,” he said.

I turned to my wine and took a quick sip. It was more of a big swallow that didn’t go down quite right. I coughed several times before saying, “Please just leave me alone.”

Fane studied me a moment before saying, “All right, Aurora. I’ll leave you alone. For now. But we need to come up with a time and place where we can talk safely.”

I nearly snorted wine out my nose. Being alone with Fane was never a good idea.

“I’m not leaving until you agree,” he said.

“I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon,” I said quickly.

He needed to go before Valerie saw him and started World War III.

“Very well, talk to you soon, Aurora Sky.”

Fane slid his wineglass across the counter, lifting it with his fingers as he left the bar. I didn’t see where he went. I kept my back to the room.

I took another sip of wine, followed by another. I rooted myself to the counter, hoping Fane would leave the party entirely. Even if we weren’t seen together, Dante and Valerie would flip if they saw him at all.

I finished the wine.

My body swayed. I leaned against the counter. The bottles behind the bar blurred. I blinked several times. When I tried to refocus, everything looked hazy again. God, when had I become such a lightweight? I blamed Fane. If anyone could throw me into a temporary tizzy, it was that maddening Man-Vamp.

Well, I had to say one thing—I felt relaxed.

“Pour you another?” the bartender asked.

He looked a bit blurry, too.

“One was enough, thanks,” I said before pitching forward and catching myself on the counter.

“I can see that,” the bartender said. He looked over my shoulder and jutted his chin up before walking away.

I tried turning to see who he’d been signaling, but a dizzy spell came over me when I moved my head.

Not good. On mission. Work to do.

I started to slip down the counter when strong arms steadied me.

“I don’t need your help,” I said, thinking it was Fane.

But it wasn’t Fane, it was Henry. I rolled my eyes when I saw him.

“You again.” I made a grunt of disgust. The trouble was I couldn’t quite shut my mouth once I was done. “You are so annoying,” I said, my words slightly slurred. “Go bother someone else.”

“I only need you for a moment,” Henry said.

“Not a good time. I don’t feel good. Wouldn’t want to ruin your fancy shoes.” I gave Henry a toothy smile.

He looked down briefly and scowled. “You’re not going to get sick. You’ll just be out of it for a little while.”

That’s when I knew the son of a bitch had drugged me. I tried to grab him by the collar and scream in his face, but my hand slipped. My entire body nearly followed the downward direction of my arm, but Henry caught me.

“You and I are going to have a quick chat upstairs.”

Where the hell were Diederick’s peace keepers? I looked in the host’s direction only to see everyone with their backs to us as the bastard bartender handed out shots from a tray.

I squirmed.

“Don’t fight me, Aurora, unless you want to get Diederick involved.”

“What did you tell him?” I demanded. The words were crystal clear inside my head. To Henry I imagined they sounded more like, “Wuh di you tell ‘im?”

“I didn’t tell him anything. This investigation is private. If you want off my watch list, it’s simple. Just let my associate take a sample of your blood.”