Page 95 of The Neighborhood Vampire

Two figures stood at the balcony railing, lording over the dance floor below. Their silhouettes were unmistakable.The Savinos stood high in their court, glaring at her, controlling what happened next. Sylvia tapped her fingers on the railing and then raised her hand. The music grew louder. The beats more oppressive. The sounds of synthetic drums pounded Alice’s senses. It drowned out her thoughts. The crowd blurred. She was losing track of her surroundings.

Focus.

Alice raised her arms. “You wanted my attention. Well, you got it,” she shouted. “Here I am.”

The Savinos didn’t move. The circle closed in. Her throat tightened as if the bodies were suffocating her. She shifted her feet, ready to make a retreat. She moved her head back and forth, keeping sight of all angles around her. The darkness shrouded their bodies in shadows; only faint outlines against the flashing light showed.

The vampires and enthralled humans closed in. Their bodies continued to sway with hypnotic motions to the beats of the music. Some smiled. Some opened their mouths to display their fangs.

“I thought you wanted to talk!” Alice shouted.

Sylvia tapped the railing. The circle closed in on Alice, now within an arm’s length. She spun around, keeping track of everyone close to her.

She gave a thought to pulling out the stake, but something much more explosive might be called for to clear them away from her. Her heart pounded as if it was going to burst through her chest. She couldn’t breathe. Any moment, one could lash out, and then it would be a feeding frenzy to tear her apart.

Run. Get out. Now!

Alice raised a foot, ready to ascend to the sky and make a hasty retreat. The vampires wiggled closer, almost on top of her. Their breath whispered against her, a chilling warning of how quickly things could escalate. Alice released the stake and pulled her hand out of the bag. She snapped her fingers and conjured two flames of arcane energy. They bathed the area in a purple glow.

“Enough!” Sylvia shouted.

The crowd backed away, but still maintained their circle around Alice. The music stopped, a relief to Alice’s ears.

“Have you come to surrender?” Sylvia asked.

“I’ve come to negotiate,” Alice said.

Everyone else laughed, their laughter echoing throughout the bar.

“What do you have to negotiate with?” Sylvia asked.

“I know you didn’t find it,” Alice answered. “You’ll never find it without me.”

The clacking of Sylvia’s nails tapping on the railing filled the silence as it permeated through the room. “I’ll tear your house apart until I do. My little pet will let me in again. He’s a rather good kisser.”

Alice’s nose flared.She’s trying to get to you. Don’t give in.

Alice asked, “Who said it was in my house?”

Sylvia stopped her tapping. She furled her eyebrows, her eyes opening wide. “You’re bluffing.”

“Are you willing to risk everything on your belief that I’m bluffing? It’s so close. Right there in your grasp for the taking . . . yet so far away. I have friends. Well-connected friends. It could be anywhere. Once again, you were close, and it slipped through your fingers.”

Sylvia stood in silence, unmoving. She gripped the railing, squeezing it. Sebastian leaned over to whisper in her ear.

Sylvia raised her hand and slammed it down. “Fine. Name your price.”

“Come down here, and let’s talk like two adults, but first, tell your goons to back away,” Alice commanded.

Sylvia snapped her fingers, and the crowd pulled back.

Alice dissipated her arcane flames. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Come on down. Let’s make a deal.”

Sylvia and Sebastian retreated away from the railing, disappeared momentarily, and reappeared descending the steps. The crowd parted, filling in behind them, as they approached. Alice could see them with more clarity. They donned matching outfits—crimson Victorian swallow-tail coats which huggedtheir well-defined torsos. The black lapels and cuffs matched their pants. Sylvia wore a white shirt while Sebastian wore a black one.

“You have my attention, witch,” Sylvia said. “Name your price.”

“I want you gone. All of you. Your whole colony of vampires. Gone,” Alice said.

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