“Can I be honest with you?” Penny asked suddenly.
“Please.” Just don’t expect the same from me.
“This is creeping me out. But should we, I don’t know, join them? Act like cute little detectives and find out what’s going on?”
“No!”
“Okay, okay. Bad suggestion.” Penny rubbed her slightly rounded belly. “They just look like they’re having so much fun, and I feel like I’ve been without fun forever.” Her tone was wistful. “So what’s the plan? Just sit here and watch them?”
“Yep. When the police arrive to arrest everyone in the vicinity for indecent exposure,” she said, thinking fast, “we’ll have a better chance of getting away if we’re in the car.”
“Uh, Mary Ann? I hate to disappoint you, but the police are already here. See the potbellied man twirling his shirt in the air? That’s Officer Swanson.”
“We’re still staying here.” Bottom line, she wasn’t going to put her friend in danger. The creatures seemed to be behaving themselves, not hurting anyone, but that could change in a blink. And what if someone sensed the baby Penny carried had a demon father? What then? Would they want to spill Penny’s blood? Would they want to destroy the baby?
She shuddered. One thing she knew: different “mythological” species were at war. Like vampires and fairies. And she had no idea which species liked demons and which didn’t.
“Fine. We’ll solve the mystery from here,” Penny said, unable to hide her disappointment. “Detective Hot Pants reporting for duty.”
“Good. Welcome to the team.” Kind of.
Except, only a few minutes later, Penny grumbled, “This sucks. I’m officially bored. They’re still having fun, and we’re still sitting here watching.”
“Sorry. Five minutes, and then we’ll head home. I promise.” So far, she’d learned nothing new.
Crap! Did the witch come here every night? Was there a party every night? If so, she’d have to nab the woman in front of a thousand potential witnesses.
So what was the best way to abduct someone from this crowded a place? she wondered. The answers slid into place as easily as if she’d been a criminal her entire life. First order of business would be noise control. A scream would draw all kinds of notice.
Second order of business would be carrying the resistant or unconscious body through the masses. Again, without drawing all kinds of notice. Third order would be storing their cargo after the kidnapping.
As her mind pondered the options and subsequent consequences, a stream of something warm rushed through Mary Ann. Her skin tingled, and her stomach growled. In seconds, that “something” soothed her, intensifying the tingle yet chasing the growl away, and she savored the sensations, wanting more, needing more, warm, so warm. Frowning, she pulled herself from her thoughts. What the—
The witch was striding toward Penny’s car, she realized, her steps intent.
“Go,” she shouted, slapping the dashboard. “Go now!”
“What? Why?”
“Move!”
Penny threw the car in Reverse and stepped on the gas. Tires screeched. Gravel sprayed. The car snaked a corner, and Mary Ann thudded against her window. They straightened out, speeding down the road, the crowded square soon becoming a distant speck in the rearview mirror.
Only problem? Two wolves were now running alongside them—and neither was Riley. One had white fur, like snow, and the other brown and red. Friends? Enemies? There was no time to reason it out. The farther down the road they went, the farther away the wolves edged from the car. Finally, Mary Ann couldn’t see them at all.
“Okay. What was that about?” Penny demanded, out of breath though they’d done nothing physical.
“I—I don’t know,” she lied. Damn it! Had she blown everything? Probably. Now the witches knew she’d been there, watching. What was the chance the witch would return tomorrow?
She sighed, trying not to despair. Guess she’d find out. After she told Riley, Aden and Victoria what she’d done and they lectured her for her stupidity, of course.
Penny was right. This sucked.
NINE
WITH HER HEAD HELD HIGH, Victoria led Aden down a long—long—line of richly dressed vampires. He saw black velvet robes draping the females, jewels of every color sewn into the fabric, and silk shirts and pants on the men. There was a sweet perfume coating the air, a scent that thickened as he made his way up a dais, where a throne of the deepest ebony rested. A scent that thankfully canceled out his perfume.
Weird symbols were etched over every inch of the throne, symbols that seemed to hum with power, enveloping him as he sat, then holding him in place as if manacles encircled his wrists and ankles.
Victoria placed herself at his right and Riley his left, and the line started moving forward. Introduction after introduction was made. Male, female, young, old. Too many names and faces to remember, especially in his current, foggy condition.
Some regarded him hopefully, some with disdain. Some looked past him to the large tapestry that hung along the wall. He didn’t have to turn to know what image was woven there; it was burned into his mind forever. In it, Vlad the Impaler viciously fought an angry, determined mob. They had pitchforks; he had a bloody sword. At his sides were countless pikes—each with a human head perched at the top. Was that what these vampires would expect from Aden?
Most likely. He should care, he thought. Just then, he cared about nothing.
As the introductions continued, he found himself tuning out the voices and studying his surroundings. Even without Elijah, Julian and Caleb tossing out their opinions about everything every few seconds, Aden was still distracted, unable to concentrate. A long red carpet stretched from the dais to the front double doors. The same swirling symbols that decorated the throne also decorated the carpet.
There were no lamps present, only elaborate candela-bras that produced flickering golden flames and ribbons of black smoke. On each side of the room were, strangely enough, stone steps—or bleachers—broken only by the four round columns stretching to the domed ceiling. They led to a platform where uniformed guards stood, swords strapped to their sides.
Humans sat on the steps. He knew they were humans because their skin ranged in color, from slightly tanned to darkest of mocha. Plus, their facial features lacked the perfection of the vampires. They, too, wore robes, though theirs were bereft of both jewels and sleeves. Easier access to their pulse points that way, Aden supposed. And he didn’t have to ask them if they wanted to be here. They were watching the vamps with unabashed longing in their eyes.
Blood-slaves, he thought then. Victoria had once told him that humans quickly became addicted to a vampire’s bite. Aden hadn’t believed her at the time. He believed her now. Since then, she’d bitten him twice and each time had been…heaven. Her teeth produced some sort of chemical or drug that numbed a human’s skin, then sweetly burned their blood.
“And finally,” Victoria said from beside him, returning his thoughts to the present, “I’m pleased to introduce you to my sisters.”
They’d reached the end of the line already? How long had he been casing the room?
“The first,” she continued, “is the Princess Stephanie.”
A beautiful blonde stepped forward and inclined her head in greeting. Like the others, she wore a robe. Until she reached up and pushed the material from her shoulders, and the thing whooshed to the floor, pooling at her feet. She lifted her chin, practically daring him to object. At least she’d had clothing on underneath the robe. Now she wore a black T-shirt with a jewel-studded rainbow in the center—the makeup on her face matched perfectly—as well as black jeans and bright red boots that hit her knees.
When he said nothing about her wardrobe switch, she relaxed.