Page 26 of Wicked Little Tricks

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Braxton escortedme down one of the lantern lit streets of the Dark District. He had his hands shoved in the pockets of his black jeans, his shoulders huddled in his leather jacket. He had added some pomade to his unruly brown hair, adding a bit of bad boy sophistication to his normally scruffy appearance. The stubble on his cheeks remained, but that was a constant for him, no matter how dressed up he got for a job. Sometimes his mercenary work would take him to posh locations, but he was always still just… Braxton.

He looked over at me as we walked past restaurants and other storefronts illuminated with soft yellow lights. Most of the businesses didn’t open until sundown. “You’re sure showing a lot of skin for someone who doesn’t want to get bit.”

I looked down at my crimson silk camisole and tight black jeans, then looked at Braxton in his heavy leatherjacket. “That’s what I have my werewolf bodyguard for.”

“I’m only one man, Eva.” But he was grinning. He knew that I knew that he would watch my back.

My messenger bag twitched. It didn’t exactly go with my outfit, but Ringo couldn’t fit in any of my other bags comfortably. As I had predicted, he had insisted on accompanying us. He’d claimed he wanted to earn his keep, which sounded a lot like he was intending on staying with us long-term. I wouldn’t burst his bubble just yet. With how things were going, I might not survive long enough to get to that point, so why put him through it?

We reached Crimson Kisses, distinguishable only by a carved sign depicting a pair of smiling red lips, tiny fangs barely visible. Braxton opened one of the tall wooden doors decorated with crescent moons of stained glass, holding it open as two pale women with bite scars on their necks walked in ahead of us, leaving a heavy trail of floral perfume in their wake. With the sun just setting, most of the vampires wouldn’t have arrived yet. But there would be plenty of admirers waiting for them when they did.

Braxton continued holding the door as I walked in ahead of him, stopping just inside to take it all in. White candles dripped their wax across the surface of tall tables lining one side of the room, and at the other side was a gleaming bar, entirely edged with intricately carved moons and stars. It looked like it had all beencarved by hand, which wasn’t surprising. Vampires had all the time in the world to work on things.

There were only a few patrons sitting at the bar or at the far tables, but things would fill up soon. I never understood the appeal of being a blood donor, but maybe it was worth it for the pampering and mind tricks. Though I didn’t intend to find out. From what I’d seen, most vampires treated their donors like favorite pets.

I chose a stool near the end of the bar, not far from the door. I steadied my bag with Ringo inside on my lap as I sat. Braxton took the only stool to my right, between me and the wall.

The sole bartender currently on duty sauntered our way. She wore a green satin shirt, clinging to her body. Brown leggings and brown boots completed the look. Elves didn’t always dress so… elven, but I imagined it got her a lot of tips in this place. Every vampire in the joint would want a taste, though I didn’t see any marks on her bare neck or wrists. Red hair fell down her back to her waist, the front pinned back to show her pointed ears. She gave us a dazzling smile, her green eyes glittering, though her attention was mostly on Braxton.

She leaned her hip against her side of the bar. “What will it be?”

Braxton ordered some terrible sweet concoction. I ordered a beer. I was what one might call alightweight, and I wanted to keep my wits about me. Couldn’t be too careful when dealing with vampires.

When the elf returned with our drinks, I stopped her with a raise of my hand. “Can you tell me when Lilith will be in?”

Her brow furrowed. “Not for another thirty minutes or so. After dark.”

It seemed pretty dark out to me, but I knew it was different for vampires. They preferred it to be pitch black. Midnight was best. “Why do you suddenly look worried?” I asked.

She smoothed her long fingered hands across the bar and leaned closer. “I’ve never seen you around here, and you don’t have the look of a regular donor about you. You may want to rethink waiting around for Lilith. She’s not so bad herself, but the company she keeps—” she shook her head. “Just, reconsider.”

“I need to ask her a few questions.”

“Questions always come with a cost.” She gave me a meaningful look, then walked away.

“Well now I’m extra excited about this,” Braxton said at my back.

Shaking my head, I sipped my beer. It was too bitter, but I didn’t want to earn another warning from the elf for not being able to handle my drink. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked Braxton here after all, but he should be all right. Werewolves were naturally resistant to vampire mind tricks, and I could usually shift out of any magical hold someone put on me. Of course, that wouldn’t do me much good with aphysicalhold. Those, I would just have to do my best to avoid.

I took another sip of my beer, letting my fingers linger on the cold glass. It was way too warm in the establishment, and I had a feeling I knew why. Heat would bring everyone’s blood to the surface.Tasty.

I could feel a few eyes on my back, but I stayed put. I wanted my answers. I wanted to find out why those two angelics had tried to kill me, and if Sebastian had somehow put them up to it. If he had, that meant he’d manipulated the entire bargain and it was null. I needed to find out more.

My senses tingled as the first of the vampires filtered in. They probably lived nearby and didn’t have a long journey just as darkness fell. I had noticed apartments above the bar. Maybe they were reserved for the nocturnal. They wouldn’t mind the late night noises down below.

I spared them a quick glance, not wanting any of them to read my interest as, well… interest.

We sipped our drinks and waited, and no one bothered us. I didn’t need anyone to point out Lilith when she finally came stalking in. The first thing I sensed was her power, something akin to magic that all vampires accumulated with age. I swiveled my stool to watch her. She was stunning, nearly six feet tall and slender like a willow tree. Curly black hair fell in a velvet curtain around her slender shoulders, clad in a black sheath dress with a lace overlay. She had gone only two steps past me in her silent high heels when she stopped andturned. Her dark eyes looked me up and down like I might be good to eat.

Her expression said she knew what I was, but she didn’t speak it out loud. Maybe she didn’t want any of the other vampires coming in to know. It looked like Sebastian had been right on the money about her interest in me.

I expected her to go behind the bar, she was a bartender after all, but instead she slid onto the stool next to mine.

She completely ignored Braxton as she spoke. “A celestial with a goblin in her bag?” She lifted one perfectly drawn on brow. “How curious.” Her eyes scanned my bare neck. “What brings you here?”

Her voice held a thick accent from somewhere far away. I couldn’t tell how old she was, that wasn’t one of my gifts, but I suspected she was ancient. She just had that feel to her.

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