Page 23 of Club Blood

“Vampirism looks so good on women,” he mused casually, taking a large breath, mouth opened in a shameless taste. I watched as he closed his eyes, settling happily in our heated tension. “Do you fuck as well as you look?”

I hissed lightly, my teeth popping against my swollen bottom lip.

“To think I was in the middle of thanking you!”

“You can’t take back words that have already been said, sweet Mercy. And I never properly responded.You’re welcome.They would have eaten you alive.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Can you?” His fingers tapped lightly on the desk, his long nails making indentations in it. I glanced at the space they occupied, noticing scratches and marks across the wood. “It looked rather like you were in over your head.”

“Mr. Valore—”

“Please, call me Carlisle,” he interrupted. I let loose a breath from my nostrils.

“Carlisle,” I hissed, “I can promise you that I have absolutely no intention of letting any vampire—no matter who they are or what power they think they have—talk to me as if I am nothing but a bag of blood. Nathaniel was myfriend, and I implore you, I never saw any indications of my bartender’s plan to murder him.”

“Spare me the dramatics,” Carlisle said, rolling his eyes. “I don’t care if you knew or not. Our hands are always dirty, Mercy, whether directly, or not. God is the only one that can judge our sins. And us being what we are,” he took a second to wave his hands between the two of us, “I figure that we’re screwed no matter what we do. Your secret is safe with me.”

I eyed him with hesitation and suspicion. Carlisle was a powerful vampire, one of the longest-living council members in history. His historic reign over the Pacific Northwest region was no secret to anyone. If he was still alive, Nate would have been proud of me for even being in his company. I moved my legs, shifting them ever so slightly. He smiled again, cocky bastard.

I got off on powerful people.

I went to stand, scooting my chair back before I felt his presence wrap around me. Shadows danced in the corners of the room, his gaze turning dangerous. I narrowed my eyes.

“If that was all, I need to return to my region now,” I said with no room for argument.

He nodded his head towards the chair and my body was pushed back into it. I hated feeling as if my body was betraying me, the compulsion felt sticky and the feeling of molten sludge followed.

“Why the rush, Merc?”

Cecelia. I needed to make sure she was still alive. My trust in Narcissa only went so far.

“Oh, so you have apet,” he said with almost terrible glee. I let no emotion shatter the coolness of my expression, although my glare was enough of an answer for him anyway. I’d forgotten these older vampires housed secret abilities that only few would ever bear witness to. “Oh good, youarea good Keeper, then. I was worried you were going to be too soft for this world. Mercy, can I give you some advice?”

“No,” I said. Carlisle ignored me anyway, and continued.

“Nate was a powerful man, and while he was reckless, he also knew how to play this game much better than you do. Sin City and the other states will thrive under you, I’m sure. But you need to know how to cover your tracks, better than how you think you did a few days ago. You have to be ruthless, Mercy,” he sat a moment in silence before laughing, “Hah, I get it. Your name, fitting.”

“My name does not mean I won’t break anyone who thinks I’d give them an inch of my mercy.”

“So scary,” Carlisle chided, “I’m sure you’ve had to overcompensate for being a woman in this man’s world. It’s unfortunate, really. You’d be an exceptional male.”

“If your advice is to change my anatomy, I’d have to remind you that it isn’t quite that easy.”

“Fair,” he smiled, “my point stands. You need to be ruthless if you want to survive here. You got lucky with that bartender,Wade. If anyone caught wind of the truth, your head would be on a stake. There would be no funeral, no party, none ofthis,” another flamboyant wave of his hands, “for you. You can do great things on council if you become who you need to be.”

“I’d like to know, Carlisle,” I said, leaning forward, my hands on my knees. I watched as his eyes flicked to my breasts falling out of my blazer. His eyes lit ice blue fire as he took in my hardened nipples, alighting with desire. The tension in the room heightened again, and my thoughts drifted once more to Cecelia. How would she feel, knowing her captor was such a sucker for a good fuck? “What is it that you think I need to become?”

He sat back on his throne, face muted in serious contemplation. I watched as Carlisle sucked on his teeth.

“There is no room for love, no room for games. You must be ruthless. You must be powerful. You must be God herself.”

* * *

I felt completelyat ease in the air, especially in a seat that gave me this much legroom. I stretched my legs, wiggling my feet as they cramped from the form fitting heels. I was relieved to be away from the conference, I detested my kind despite my enjoyment of the immortal perks. The small jet that I'd flown out was inherited from Nathaniel, and it surrounded me with a familiar comfort that kept me from panicking. It wasn’t quite the trip that I’d anticipated. I was a sheep in wolf’s clothing, and it didn’t feel good. My fingers scratched the leather, gripping each side of the armrests as I gazed out the jet window and towards the resting night that covered the sky.

I was not on trial for murder. I should call that a victory, though it felt anything but. I didn’t trust Carlisle to keep my secret, his word against mine was enough to damn me regardless of whether or not his information was accurate. The problem was, what he knew wastrue, and if I pissed him off enough, he would easily surrender me to the horrors of a vampire’s final death. They’d already called for my head. I had been a shadow of Nate for so long, but that was no longer the case. Mercy Petrova was someone the Knownknew. I would have to tread lightly.

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