Page 140 of The Demon's Pet

“Maybe we’ll find out more here,” Griffin said. “Maybe Sam is looking to Cayne for info.”

“Maybe,” I said.

A knock on the door startled both of us, and a voice with a slight rasp called out.

“Hello, hello? Cute little humans? I vant to suck your bloood. Come play with me.”

Griffin’s eyes went wide, but before he could jump from the bed, I pushed up and got ready.

“What the fuck was that?” I asked.

Griffin shook his head next to me. I realized we hadn’t locked the door behind us, though Orpheus had given us the key.

The door opened slowly, and a pale face with dark hair peeked around the opening.

“Boo,” it said.

32

“Shut the door,” I yelled to Griffin as we both tried to sit up, but before we could, it swung open, and a dapper figure appeared, leaning against it with a smile. In the lamplight, long canines with sharp points glistened.

A vampire.

The creature had silky black hair to collar length and exotic, almond-shaped eyes in a shade of blood red. Its lips were pretty and naturally dark, and its skin was as white as the moon.

It seemed a few years older than me, maybe mid-twenties, and its face was beautiful and heart-shaped.

He was a few inches taller than me but much shorter than Griffin, and he wore a black cloak over a white dress shirt and black pants, with shiny dress shoes. “I didn’t know we had visitors. I would have dressed up even more.”

Griffin stood in front of me, but I pushed in front of him.

“Who are you?” I tried to keep my voice from trembling since this was my first time facing a vampire.

“Simon Card at your disposal,” Simon said, sweeping a bow that made his hair shimmer in the light. When he stood, he reached out a hand for me to shake it.

I stared at it for a moment, and he laughed.

“You didn’t think I was serious, right? About the sucking your blood thing?” He chuckled. “I was trying to give you a special introduction to vampires. But, no, we don’t do that anymore.” He smiled. “Not without permission.”

I swallowed. “You’re not going to get it.”

He came closer to me, sniffing the air. “Interesting. I don’t want it from you anyway.” His red eyes slid to Griffin, and he fluttered his eyelashes prettily. “This one smells amazing, though. Top tier blood.”

Griffin took a step back from Simon, looking unimpressed.

“You both smelled amazing at a distance, like freshly baked sugar cookies. A vamp could smell it from miles away.” He raised his nose in the air, inhaled deeply, and sighed. “Mm. Delicious.” He cocked his head. “Just a hint of something I don’t want.” His gaze went to mine. “Something tainted in yours, eh? Good thing this guy has enough to go around. Look at the size of him.”

I moved in front of Griffin, blocking the vamp’s path. “You need to get out of here. Orpheus said we were alone—”

“You are,” Simon said, clasping his hands behind his back and stepping back with a smile. “Except for me. I’m a close friend of Cayne’s, so I come and go as I please.”

“You say we smell good?” Griffin sniffed his armpits. “Does that mean other vampires will come for us?”

Simon flashed his fangs. “Not with me in the vicinity. Besides, everyone’s too afraid of Cayne, even if it’s just his reputation protecting this place most of the time now.”

“Who is he?” Griffin asked.

“You don’t know the most famous slayer of all time?” Simon clicked his tongue. “Too bad for you.” He rocked back and forth from foot to foot. “Hey, what about just a taste? You have plenty to spare. I won’t turn you into a vampire, you know, and—”

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