Page 68 of Soulbound Shadows: Part 1

I’ll be right outside the door, he told me. Be careful, Evangeline.

Keep listening.

We were in a small sitting room with low, comfortable couches. On one of the side tables was a neatly arranged tray of lube and condoms. I rolled my eyes.

I pushed the man down onto one of the sofas, and he went eagerly. He didn’t even seem startled when I pulled tendrils of magic up to pin his wrists and ankles. If anything, he seemed even more into it. Typical. I reached down and pulled his mask off.

He had large, slightly watery blue eyes, and a very square jaw. His brown hair was mussed from being under the mask, and he blinked up at me in surprise. There was a faint gray sheen over the whites of his eyes. I nodded to myself, glad to see that the truth serum had already hit his system.

“What’s your name?” I asked, dropping the flirty tone.

“Damien,” he blurted. “My name is Damien Sterling.”

“Why is your mind shielded, Damien?”

He looked dazed. “My employer warded me,” he told me. “He does it for all of his high-ranking men.”

“Your employer?” I prompted.

“Can’t tell you his name,” Damien said. “Can’t tell you any of their names. There’s a… you know.” He made a face. “Thingy. Spell.”

Is he… drunk? Gabriel asked.

I kinda had to guesstimate how strong a dose I’d need for a vampire, I replied. I might’ve messed him up a little bit.

“What can you tell me about your employer’s plan?” I asked Damien.

“Gonna… gonna use the art… arddy—arartif…” He shook his head, and I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“The artifact?” I said.

He nodded vigorously. “That thing! Gonna use it to suck up a bunch of magic. And then, and then, use it to get rid of light magic. Poof! All gone. Just a bunch of dark magic. All theirs. We already have one piece. It’s working really, really well.”

“And the missing vampires? They’re a part of this?”

“Yeah, they’re like fuel,” Damien said. I felt Gabriel’s rage in my mind at his words. “We take ’em, suck out their magic, and get rid of ’em. Just, just, you know, the ones that nobody’s gonna miss.”

Gabriel’s anger hit me so strongly I had to take a few calming breaths to keep myself level.

“And you’re one of the higher-ups in this operation,” I said coldly.

Damien nodded blearily, leaning forward as much as he could in his restraints. “Yes, but… hey, do you want to know a secret?”

“I would love to know a secret.”

“I’m doing my own thing,” he said, trying to tug his finger up to his lips and failing miserably. “I’m a double agent. Shh Gonna… gotta bring ’em down from the insnsss. Inside. Gonna be. Sooo…” Damien trailed off, his head lolling against his shoulder. A second later, he let out a massive snore.

I think perhaps we should do some more research on proper dosage before you try this method again, Gabriel thought at me.

Might be a good idea, I agreed. I released the bonds holding Damien down, then stepped forward, undoing his tie, and popping a few buttons on his shirt.

Gabriel sent me alarmed confusion.

Relax. I’m not doing anything weird. He won’t remember anything from after the potion hit him, so I’m just gonna set things up so he makes some assumptions.

I took my lipstick from my clutch, put a bit on my finger, and wiped some vaguely lip-shaped smears onto the unconscious vampire’s face, neck, and chest. I stepped back and checked my work, hands on hips, before undoing his belt and leaving one of the condoms in his limp hand.

Gabriel, true to his word, was right outside the door, somehow managing to look comfortable and casual on a narrow chair against the wall. His eyes flicked over me, and even if he hadn’t still been lingering on the outskirts of my mind, I would have been able to see the worry in his eyes.

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