Page 4 of The Blood Widow

His shoulders dropped, and he stepped back a few more paces. “No one knows where they all are. The parents only want their children to be safe.” Even through his distorted voice I could hear the sorrow that coated every word.

My own distress tightened my throat. The parents would die if their children escaped. If the vamps were in a foul mood, they’d make the death public and extensive. At least I would be able to keep their kids from seeing it for a while.

I tapped my fingers faster. “I can’t save them both.” Between the Sinisters and the vampire main family, the Lifebloods, both parties would be heavily guarded. It was too dangerous. Regardless, I wouldn’t let two kids be killed because the vampire prince didn’t know how to wear a condom.

He tossed over a crumpled paper. It landed at my feet as he backed away further down the dark alley.

“Anything else, Moon Blessed?” The code name made me smirk, he must be a wolf shifter. Only the wolves loved the moon enough to name themselves after it.

“No. Good luck, Blood Widow,” he said and walked away.

That was how these meetings went. We stayed far away from each other, used disguises, and kept it short. If they wanted to give me something, they dropped the object and left.

Blood Widow was my name as much as Novem, but when I became the Blood Widow, I became darker. I let my demon half out more, so I could live with all the violence and fucked up shit I had to see every day. I experienced less emotion and didn’t hesitate to kill… Shoot, I enjoyed hunting and killing.

I grabbed the paper and dashed off. My feet were ghost silent, moving with the stealth that I acquired from more than a hundred years of killing. My keen eyes scrutinized the desolate area for traps. The charred covered ground scattered with pieces of rubble was comforting to me. I’d spent so much time here lately, meeting people, it felt like a second home. The alley was the only place with both walls covering it from onlookers. The rest of the scorched building looked like a demolition crew had come through there with a wrecking ball.

I summoned my pocket portal.

My magic, as usual, seemed to give me the middle finger. The circle was on the side of the building way above my head. I was five foot seven, so it had to be at least double that. “You fucker. I’m way too tired for this.” The climb was going to suck.

As my fingers gripped onto the cold brick, my head snapped around at the sound of a discarded can disturbing the silence as it tumbled away from whomever kicked it. Whether the person was here at random, or Moon Blessed set me up, I wasn’t sticking around to find out. My crimson hair might be artificial, but it was also a huge red flag to everyone searching for theBlood Widow. The wig had its purpose, fear mostly, but it also had a price.

I didn’t want anyone spotting it and forcing me to find a new meeting spot. I liked using this alley for Blood Widow business. People in the Underground called it the Slaughter Alley. No one ventured over here often. There was a massacre and the ghosts stuck around to torment any criminals that came near. No one wanted to spend their time fighting something they couldn’t see.

A chilly breeze ran up my spine, telling me a soul was near. “Make sure they don’t get too close,” I told the wind.

The spirits didn’t always listen, but the satisfied vibrations humming in the air like a purr conveyed it probably would help me. Seconds later, annoyed male shouts confirmed my suspicions. Ugh, I wouldn’t be able to use this alley for a while.

My eyes landed on the yellow glowing circle above me.

“You fucking suck,” I said to my magic.

I gripped onto the worn-down brick to free climb my ass up the side of the building. My vampire speed kicked in, making my movements almost a blur. Yet, the old, cracked stone still scraped my fingers raw. I blamed the icy air. I was just glad the skin didn’t break. Blood could be tracked. So could my telekinesis abilities, which was why I didn’t use them to get in my portal faster.

I climbed in and thought of my bed. In the next breath of air, the plush surface hugged my body as I did a starfish plop onto my comforter. My exhaustion made everything seem even more comfortable. The portal closed with a satisfying click as I opened the note.

There will be a shift change at midnight in the Lifeblood’s dungeon.

“I’m so tired.”I rubbed my green diamond ring, summoning the brownie, Beaut. The ring vibrated, so I closed my eyes and waited.

The small creature appeared. Her green bob-cut hair clashed with her pale skin, washing her out, but the green blush on her high cheekbones helped. Her small body was curvy. Her ears were slightly pointed, and her teeth were razor-sharp.

She put her hands on her hips.

“What in the fairy fart, do you want?” Beaut shrieked from on my chest.

She had the ability to change her body size slightly. At her biggest she came to just below my knees. Her smallest was close to a barbie doll which was her chosen height right now. She bounced from boob to boob. “At least you provide entertainment.”

I snickered. “I need you to cause a distraction at exactly twelve on the Lifeblood’s lawn.”

She giggled. “I knew you were batshit crazy, flabby tits. But lucky for you, I like the insane ones.” She bounced on my nipple, making me flinch from the sharp pain. “Sorry. Anyway, one distraction coming up.” Her weight disappeared off of me.

I rubbed my temples. It was 11:30, there was time. Okay, twenty-minute nap, then save the kids.

I sworeI closed my eyes for a second, and the alarm blared to life, startling me half to death. I jerked forward, rolling off the bed. Grunting, I took a minute to let my heart palpitations ease. Waking up this way made me angry instantly. After a few deep breaths to center myself, I reluctantly called on my portal magic to begin my rescue. With any luck, I could get in, portal them away, and leave. Since pocket portals were rare, they were harder to track, so I wasn’t too worried about being caught. Icould still be followed, though. So, I grabbed my last potion to strengthen, and a potion to hide my magic. Thankfully, Bell liked the work that I did, so she helped make it just a bit easier.

My portal appeared on the roof. “Oh, you’re a salty bitch,” I griped as I grabbed a chair from the dining table. I couldn’t focus on anything but my goal. Exhaustion made my world fuzzy. I knew my limits, and I was getting close. Things have been getting worse in the city, so I had to work more jobs. Being a one-person defense force against all the malevolence in this city wasn’t easy.

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