Magic Forged (Hall of Blood and Mercy #1)(70)

“I said it was fine.” Killian didn’t open his blood pouch, but stared down at it for a moment before swiveling his gaze over to me. His eyebrow twitched, and he flicked me in the forehead.

“Ow,” I said automatically, even though it didn’t hurt.

Killian left before I raised my hand to rub at the spot.

“Stay safe, Hazel,” Celestina called over her shoulder as she followed him out.

Josh merely nodded to me and left, tossing his emptied blood pouch in the trash on his way out—leaving behind the unopened second pouch.

“Good luck!” I called.

By the time I finished my snack of strawberries, Oreos, and chips, a few of the blood donors had drifted into the kitchen, searching for dinner. I chatted with them as the sun sank beyond the horizon, leaving the sky enveloped in velvet black.

It wasn’t until we finished and were tidying up the kitchen that I remembered the extra blood pouch.

“Oh, I can put that away, Hazel,” Amanda—the chatty blood donor I’d met the day I arrived at Drake Hall—offered.

“It’s fine! I know where everything goes—I used to organize the blood after every delivery.” I trotted over to the walk-in cooler and set the blood pouch on the frosted shelves. I made a face when I noticed that no one bothered to arrange the blood by expiration date, so there were some expired packs pushed to the side.

But I couldn’t blame anyone—I knew personally the kitchen staff were busy. And it’s not like we could expect the vampire that made the deliveries to do it. Wait.

I paused just outside the cooler and mentally reviewed my thoughts. “A vampire makes the blood deliveries,” I said.

Only Amanda was left in the kitchen. “Hmm? Oh, yes. She’s been the delivery person for months.”

There was something about this—I felt as if I was on the edge of making a huge discovery if I could just puzzle it out correctly. “It’s the same delivery person every time?” I asked.

“As far as I know.” She tapped her lower lip. “I haven’t seen anyone else. You’ve met her, haven’t you? A female vampire—I think she’s Unclaimed…”

I briefly closed my eyes as I tried to organize my wild thoughts. “I have to go.” I grabbed my katana from the chair I’d balanced it on and tore out of the kitchen, pounding down the hallways.

I needed to find a vampire—there was something I had to confirm. Because if I was right, there was a vampire who was allowed through all the layers of security at Drake Hall without suspicion and didn’t belong to the Drake Family: the vampire with the blood delivery company.





Chapter Nineteen





Hazel





“Celestina? Josh?” I shouted, cursing under my breath when I remembered they had left well over an hour ago for their meeting.

I didn’t know who else was here, and I still didn’t have a cellphone, so it wasn’t like I could phone Celestina up.

Desperate, I flung open the front door, nearly colliding with Rupert, who was coming up the front stairs, having parked his car in the turn around.

“Rupert! I need your help.” I grabbed the front of his suit with my free hand, ignoring the possibility that he might maim me for it—this was too important to let him go, even if he was a jerk.

Rupert reared his head back and went to cover his nose for a moment—from the stench of my blood probably. “What?” he snapped, his hair more of a gold color than red in the yellow cast by the driveway lights. “Can’t you do anything without Celestina or Josh around to protect you?”

“I’m serious!” I yanked hard on his jacket. “Tell me—do all of the local vampire Families use the same blood delivery company?”

Rupert tried to extricate his jacket from my grasp without actually touching me. “Of course. There’s only one major company that services the Midwest. There are a few smaller local brands, but here in Magiford blood distribution is a contract awarded by Killian.”

“Then it’s possible.” I let Rupert go and slapped my hands on my head as if I could forcibly keep my whirling thoughts under control. “Depending on her route, she could have access to everyone…including—the meeting!” Reacting entirely on instinct I jumped down the stairs, sprinting for Rupert’s car.

“Call Celestina!” I shouted over my shoulder. “Tell her the murderer is there!”

Rupert strolled after me. I couldn’t see his face in the darkness of night, but I was pretty sure he was scowling. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I opened his car and slid in the driver’s seat, tossing my katana into the passenger’s seat. “To the meeting!”

“What?!”

I slammed the door shut and, thankfully, the keys were already in the ignition. I turned the car on and slammed from park to drive, already rolling forward as I hurriedly buckled my seatbelt.

“Stop—you stupid rat-blood!” Rupert howled.

I ignored him and drove the car down the driveway. When I glanced in the rearview mirror it looked like Rupert hadn’t bothered to follow me—hopefully he at least thought to phone Celestina.

I reached the gate that divided off Drake lands and peered up and down the fence-line, but I didn’t see any vampires on duty. I rolled a window down and shouted into the shadows of the night, “Hello?”