Page 134 of Veil of Death and Shadow

After all the death and chaos in the years since The Undoing, it was easy to forget that some people still lived with this level ofcomfort and ease. Whoever owned this place must’ve had some premium supplier hook ups.

Like Incendiary, this establishment didn’t seem too badly affected by all the destruction. Maybe it was a demon thing.

They never relied on the same governing structures that humans did, so when those structures collapsed, their lives stayed relatively stable in comparison.

That, and probably the fact that the compounds and human cults weren’t much of a match for a group of demons this large. They didn’t need to worry about the raids or competition for the resources the compounds hoarded.

I scanned every face, holding my breath with the hope that Sora’s would be one of them. That she was fine, that she knew Rex’s ritual was bullshit. That she’d simply been so lost to the lust of a hookup with Lav that she’d forgotten to mention that she might be out for a few days, hanging with her new crush at a vamp bar. But with each face, that thin shred of hope shrank, until it became abundantly clear she wasn’t here. None of the women looked even vaguely familiar, which meant that Lav probably wasn’t in attendance either.

Fear, angry and sharp, speared through my chest at the possibility that I was too late. That maybe shehadbeen here, searching for a cure to death, but one of the vampires, all flirtatious smiles on the outside, had slit open her vein for dinner, then left her alone and dead in an alley somewhere.

As if sensing the shift in my thoughts, the back of Kieran’s hand brushed lightly against mine. The contact was brief, but for some reason, the tenderness of it only made it more difficult to hold my shit together.

“Can I get you something, dear?” a voice called over the loud hum of conversation.

Blinking away the film of tears that was threatening to break free, I turned towards it.

A white, middle-aged woman with a gentle smile stood behind the bar. Her reddish-brown hair was shoulder-length and curly, and her skin was lined with soft wrinkles that highlighted her welcoming expression, stretching it so that it was mapped across her face. When she caught sight of my barely contained tears, those wrinkles shifted just slightly, until her face shone bright with concern. “You okay, hon? Are you here on your own?”

Swallowing, I pulled out the picture of Sora and slid it across the bar, my trembling fingers betraying my attempt at collecting myself. “I’m looking for my friend, Sora. Have you seen her? Tonight, or last night, maybe?”

The woman grabbed the picture and held it in front of her face, studying it for a moment. “Not tonight, no.”

My stomach sank as I sat down on one of the free stools. Where the hell was I supposed to go from here?

The woman set the photo down in front of me. “But she was here last night if memory serves.”

My head shot up. “She was? You recognize her?”

The woman nodded. “Sweet girl. Was surprised to find her here.” Her eyes darted to me; her face pinched with concern. “We don’t get very many humans here. They’re not exactly our targeted clientele, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

“Do you know who she was here with?” My heart thumped loud and heavy in my chest as the tenuous thread of hope appeared again. “I was told maybe some girl named Lav?”

“Yeah, she was here with Lav.” She grabbed a glass, filled it with water, then set it down in front of me. “Drink this. You look like you’ve been through the ringer. Like you’ve seen a ghost or something. Let me know if you want anything stronger.”

“Thank you.” I ignored the offer. “Is Lav here? Do you know if she came in at all tonight?”

“Hey Marge,” a tall man slapped his hand against the bar top with enough force that the glass of water trembled. “One more pitcher and a round of shots, if you will. And add them to Manny’s tab”

“Quite the big spender tonight, isn’t he?” Marge got to work on the order but met my eyes and then nodded towards the back of the room. “Lav hasn’t been by here tonight, but that’s her brother, Manny, over there in the back.” She squinted, then chuckled. “The one who’s about to lose another fortune at the pool table with that terrible form of his.” She turned to the man who ordered the drinks. “You sure he’s good for the tab tonight? Because I’ll come collecting from you if not.”

“I appreciate it,” I said, then grabbed my picture and slid off the stool, leaving them to their discussion.

Kieran kept close to me as I wound my way through the maze of tables and bodies, ignoring all the curious stares leveled on me as I passed by.

Thorne stayed back by the bar, looking thoroughly bored.

The crowd around the pool table erupted in jeers when Manny did, indeed, miss his shot.

He handed his cue to a girl next to him, his face flushing with heat as his friends ribbed him.

“Excuse me,” I said, squeezing around a seated couple who appeared to be in the awkward stages of a first date, “are you Manny?”

“Who wants to know?” There was an edge to his tone; but when he caught sight of me, his eyes dipping immediately to the deep plunge of my dress, the instinctual snark ebbed into a skeezy appreciation that made my stomach recoil. “Yeah, I’m Manny. What can I do for you?”

Ignoring the whistles and jeers from the two guys next to him, I handed him the picture. “I think my friend was here lastnight with your sister. Have you seen her since then? Or do you know where she might be?”

The flirtatious grin dried up immediately when he caught sight of Sora’s face.

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