Page 270 of Caelum

The club was huge, but we already knew that. The bar ran down one wall and a team of bartenders serviced it. They ran like worker bees down its length as they handled the masses who wanted to find their buzz.

In the center of the space was the dance floor, and on either side were cages containing dancers, mostly naked, as they writhed to the beat.

Behind the dance floor, there were windows guarded by a door that was fenced off with red rope. The VIP area.

When a bouncer from outside appeared in front of me, I nodded at him and let him guide us to where we needed to be.

Unsurprisingly, it was the VIP area, and the guard securing it released the rope, then opened the door, so we could walk in.

We were led into a space that was half the size of the bar and dance floor. Here, there were large seating areas that were sectioned off with velvet curtains. There was a scent inside that told me these private areas were used for two things.

Sex and feeding.

Ghouls were back here, and it had all my senses switching into turbo mode.

We were surrounded by the enemy, and the only saving grace? The only thing keeping us alive?

We could scent Ghouls, but they couldn’t scent us.

A fact I’d never been more grateful for in all my life.

The guard led us straight down to the back of the room where there was another door, and he opened it, letting us into an office that looked like it belonged in a modern museum.

White walls with only a desk and a chair behind it, with seats for guests on the other side, and then a sofa. That was it.

Why?

Because the walls were taken up with glass cubes that had spotlights on them. I couldn’t see what was inside them all, but some were tiny, some were large like swords, and others were various weapons. Standing in front of this wall of art, with his back to us, was a man.

Adamescu.

I was surprised he was alone, especially when the guard left us with him. That told me Adamescu thought he was either about to feed on a meal of eight humans or there was no threat here. Simply a business transaction.

Not that it mattered what he thought.

Our seven wishes would fell him.

At least, I hoped they would.

We’d uttered the wishes in London, Geneva, and the second we’d landed in Bucharest, but to no avail. If they didn’t work when we were here, opposite him?

We were fucked.

The rest of Eve’s markings ricocheted inside my skull. Each word was vital. Each one the means of bringing this bastard, and all those in his line, to an end.

“As you can see,” Adamescu murmured, “I’ve made it my hobby to collect certainobjet d’art.” He remained with his back to us. “A friend of mine has informed me that you might have something I would like to add to my collection.”

When Adamescu turned around, Eve tensed at my side.

I could understand why.

It was often difficult to account for how beautiful Ghouls were when they were capable of such ugliness, and Adamescu was walking sin personified. He could have been a model with his perfect blond hair and pretty face. His eyes sparkled like sapphires, and his lips were a ruby red that was far too similar to the blood he fed from on the regular.

Not just to nourish, but to kill.

Samuel fed, and until recently, we’d fed too, but Ghouls destroyed with their appetites.

Adamescu’s mouth twitched at what I assumed was Eve’s starstruck impression, but when she saw that, she cocked a brow at him then reached up and dropped her purse down her arm. Pulling her hand from mine, she dipped into her purse and pulled out the ring we’d had mocked up to ensnare Drekavac’s attention.

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