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“Deadbeat dad?”

“No, that man sitting on that chair is my father from my past life. Alexander,” I explained, running my hand through my hair. “Fuck! Of course, he’d look a bit different from how he did back then. I’ve had visions of him before, but they were brief. Vampires kidnapped him when I was a teenager in the seventeenth century.” I looked over at Alexander, staring at us, along with Devon.

Fuck.We need to leave.

Sarah shook her head. “It’s not like he’ll recognize you, Mercy. We came here to learn more about this clan, and what better way to do it than getting in close with their leader?”

“My fucking father!” I corrected, practically shouting.

“Shhh! Jesus, Mercy. Get it together.”

“Okay. Okay.” I looked over and smiled. “We’ve already drawn enough attention to ourselves since we’ve been here, so let’s make the connection and get the fuck out of here.”

She nodded and grabbed my hand, leading me back to the men.

“Welcome back,” Devon said.

Alexander stood and reached out his hand. I held mine out, and he delicately grabbed it and kissed the top. I gulped and felt a hard lump slowly move down my throat. Sarah gave him her hand, and he did the same with her.

“Welcome to my club, little humans,” my father said. “Drinks are on the house tonight, alright? Devon is my right hand, so anything you need, just ask him.” His eyes lingered on mine.

If I weren’t so overwhelmed with nerves, I would have been more thrilled to have gained the trust of Alexander’s right hand.

Devon then gestured to the bar, and after an uncomfortable stare-down with my father, we followed. Though I was still in disguise, there was a tiny part of my thoughts that he’d still figure it out. I needed to get as far away from him as I could.

“Here’s some water.” Devon handed Sarah and me each a bottle of water. “It gets hotter down here than the rest of the club, so you need to hydrate. Those cocktails won’t do it.”

We thanked him and drank at least half our water before working our way over to the dance floor.

As we met at the center of the club, I spotted Roland’s friend Marcus standing against the wall by the bar.

“Wait here,” I told Sarah. “I found Marcus … I think.”

Marcus wasn’t far from where we were standing, so the distance kept me close enough to Sarah so her spell didn’t wear off.

“Are you Marcus?” I asked him. He nodded and gestured for me to follow him, but I shook my head. “Right here is fine, please.” I glanced over at my father and Devon to make sure they weren’t watching us, which they thankfully weren’t.

Turning my head back to Marcus, I felt a wave of vertigo. I blinked and tried to focus, to pull my attention back to him. Itwashot in the club, and the heat was getting to me.

“Roland said you’re the guy I should talk to.” I quickly glanced at Sarah, who was now dancing with Devon. He placed his hands on her hips as she moved back, grinding into him.

What the hell is she doing?

“I am,” Marcus answered, pulling my attention back to him. “Mercy, you’re going to need to act a little inconspicuous.”

“I’m finding it a bit difficult, Marcus,” I said. “I just met my father.”

Marcus grinned. “I can see that.”

My eyes narrowed on his. “Did Roland fucking know?”

Marcus shook his head. “I may be lifelong friends with Roland, Mercy, but even I have secrets to protect my clan.”

I nodded because I got it. Roland was a piece of shit, and I wouldn’t trust him either.

“Sorry, Marcus, I don’t have a lot of time,” I continued. “I need you to make up a story about how we’ve known each other for years and that my friend Mandy and I can be trusted. We need you to make us permanent members of this club. Keep us on the list and tell them we’re humans with connections.” I paused, a smile forming on my lips. “Oh, and tell them I love to let vampires drink from me.”

“That’s a great way to get caught,” he pointed out. “Once they notice their vampire clan is getting smaller, your plan is over.”

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