Page 13 of Kiss of Light

The neon sign which blazed the name of the club was directly in front of them, They skirted round and walked to the edge of the roof, peering over the safety railings at the scene below.

The nightclub goers were spilling onto the street, catcalling and shrieking in drunken high spirits. The bouncer Tala had seen earlier was trying to corral them, while bar staff urged them to move away from the building. In the distance, they could see the blue lights of an approaching fire truck.

“Now what, demon?” Lemar drawled.

“Now we wait till it’s all clear. They’ll assume we slipped away in the chaos.”

“None of this makes any sense. Who put the contract out on me?”

“Salaq.”

“Salaq, the Lord of the Marid? What the fuck did I do to him?”

“It’s not about you. Salaq wants to be emperor of Nush’aldaam. He needs your father to support him against Shadeed of the Ifrit. So he’s made it look like Shadeed put out the contract.”

“That’s fucked up. Why can’t we just tell everyone the truth?”

“I’ve tried,” Tala said bitterly. “No-one cares. The hunters are in it for the money. And the vamps are in it because they don’t like your father.”

Lemar’s face hardened.

“Yeah, well, they’re not the only ones. It’s because of the code, isn’t it? They want to be able to feed off humans without restriction.”

Anger gripped Tala’s heart.

“I guess they’re just meals on legs to you, aren’t they? Taking blood whenever you want, trancing them so they forget. And if you kill a couple here and there well, what the hell. They’re only human. Not as important as Vetali.”

He shot out a hand, gripping her upper arm painfully.

“Don’t presume to know me, shaitun,” he grated. “You are as ignorant as you are presumptuous.”

His eyes were black with fury and she fought the impulse to wrench herself from his grasp. She kept her voice low and steady.

“Take your hand off me, bloodsucker.”

For a moment, he tightened his grip. He wasn’t sure why. Perhaps he was trying to force a reaction from her. Then he turned away and looked over the railing to the people milling below.

“I have my own reasons for disliking my father. But the code isn’t one of them. Feeding off humans is bad enough. Feeding off them till they die is unforgiveable.”

“Some of your fellow Vetali don’t see it that way. They want to be able to treat humans like cattle. Keep them caged. Bleed them dry. You telling me you’re different?”

“I don’t feed off humans. Ever.”

She blinked.

“Sorry, what? You’re telling me you’veneverfed off a human?”

“Not for nearly a hundred years.”

She frowned.

“Then how…?”

“How do I feed?” He gave a small smile. “Are you picturing me stealing dogs or chasing deer right now? Maybe wrestling an alligator down at the bayou?”

She flushed.

“I know you need the iron. I’m assuming tablets won’t cut it.”

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