Page 8 of Until the Heart Stops
“—you ruined my accounting for a month!”
The delicate sound of a throat clearing stopped whatever retort Noah had. A female vampire waited at the counter, a few tendrils of black hair blowing in the breeze as she tapped her sharp nails against the wood with one hand.
“I agree with the witch,” she purred at Noah, green eyes bright. “You sound terrible at mathematics.”
Noah gaped at the vampire, his attention running from the slope of her nose down to the extravagant green silks beneath her black cloak. I grinned and stood whilepressing three fingers to my mouth. “Serang lan nauth,my lady. And yes, you are quite right.”
Her blood-red lips pulled into an answering smile, one fang glinting in the light. “I usually am. Are you Mademoiselle Searah?”
I smoothed my hands over the ledger. “I am.”
She reached inside the cloak, procuring a small scroll atop a flat silver box. “A gentleman bade me deliver this to you.”
Instead of putting it in my hand, she placed it on the counter and turned back to Noah, assessing him in the way I’d seen others assess a piece of meat. He continued to gape and I reached to press it closed with the heel of my hand. “A gentleman? You saw him?”
“Mmm-hmm,” she hummed, raising a sleek brow at Noah, who shook himself.
“You know this male?” I pressed, gesturing to the box.
Her fingernails tapped against the counter and her attention slid back to me. “You know, I was a bit put out at first when he asked me to do this errand for him. But now”—she turned back to Noah and shot him a wink—“I’m beginning to see the advantages.”
The parchment taunted me from atop the box, the black seal smooth as obsidian. “Who is he?”
Around us other vampires were dipping into competing blood dens, but the female before me was garnering much attention from her fellow blood drinkers. A few had even stopped to point her out before dipping beneath awnings and out of sight. But she appeared not to notice, or care, only pushed the box a little closer. “Read the note, I want to see what it says.”
I huffed, undeterred, but plucked up the parchment and broke the seal.
It is said that in the blood there are no secrets.
That in blood there is the beginning and the end.
But those who say that must have never seen your eyes,
or caught even a whisper of your scent.
With a frown I placed the parchment to the side, only for the female to snatch it up and read it before letting out a small chuckle. The silver box was similar to the others I’d received and, when I pulled off the lid, a similar black satin was nestled within.
But there, in the middle, was the silver necklace I’d seen only last night, the teardrop ruby winking at me as if sharing a secret.
“Merciful goddess…” I breathed.
Noah appeared to come back to himself as I pulled the chain from the box, weighing the stone in my hand. It was heavier than I expected and a strange sort of magic shimmered around it, though it was not imposing or threatening. Instead, it merely felt comforting, like the warmth of a blanket around my shoulders.
“Is this gentleman of the…nighttime persuasion, my lady?” he asked, his voice a low gravel I rarely heard.
The female tilted her head to the side. “Perhaps.”
“It’s too much.” I placed the necklace back in the box and slid it to her. “Please, return it to your friend with my thanks, but I cannot accept this.”
Her lips parted in surprise even as her grin grew wider. “Oh, no, I can’t do that. But I’d be happy to deliver him a response if you’d like.”
A response. I looked around while Noah pulled a slip of parchment from the back of the ledger and found one of the inkpotsthe gentlemanhad provided.
“Don’t hold back,” the female purred. “I do love to watch men squirm.”
Dear Sir,
I apologize for the improper beginning of this letter, but as you did not provide me with your name, I am unable to address you accordingly.
