Blood and Kisses(15)

“...the Champion.” Hearing her title, she froze.

“I know we’re not supposed to look at them, but oh my God he’s handsome! I wouldn’t mind investigating something with him,” one of the women said suggestively. The other two tittered in response.

“Do you remember Jana? She dated a vampire.” Scandalized gasps met this confession. Thalia thought about ducking out, but something wouldn’t let her leave. “She really liked him and,” the speaker lowered her voice slightly for a moment, “apparently the sex was unbelievable.” Her volume rose. “But they couldn’t go anywhere together, and she said he got really frustrated that he couldn’t take her blood. What finally split them up, though, was that Jana got a gray hair.”

“That’s shallow.”

“He claimed her didn’t want to see her age because he knew he’d lose her.” The woman accented the “claimed” and sing-songed the rest, implying his words were probably a convenient lie. “Jana was so devastated she left the state.”

“Think Gideon and the Champion are sleeping together?” More laughter.

“Please! What would he see in her?”

A knot formed in Thalia’s stomach. Damn. She should’ve left when she’d had the chance.

“Hey, she really helped me out once!” Thalia suddenly recognized the speaker. It was the blonde, Ashley Trenton. And if that was so, the other two must be Maureen Smith and Kimmy Simpson. The three were always together, so much so they were referred to as the three musketeers.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. Senior year I started to have these horrible dreams. I dreamt a monster was stalking me.”

“Ooh, Nightmare on Edgemere Drive.”

“Hey.”

Thalia heard the thump of a tiny slap.

“It was really scary! They got worse and worse until I couldn’t sleep at all. I was falling asleep at school. Do you remember when I overslept and missed the SAT’s? Finally, my mom took me to see Thalia. It was just after she became the Champion. She found out Kit Van Sant, you know that guy I wouldn’t date in high school, was manipulating my dreams to get back at me.”

“What a jerk! What happened?”

“She put a binding spell on him. He barely recognized me the next day. And then one time my older brother accidentally summoned that demon while attempting a spell.”

“Your brother is such a moron! Still, she’s not exactly on Gideon Damek’s level.”

“No one’s on his level. Anyway, I feel sorry for her...” A burst of music, the soft swish of the door, and the sudden quiet that followed told Thalia they’d left.

She studied her face in the mirror above the sink. Under the florescent lights, her features were taut and drawn, her mouth pinched.

Ashley felt sorry for her? The knot in her stomach swelled, doubling its size and another germinated in her throat. She preferred the others’ scorn. She could handle that.

She let a long sigh empty her lungs. They said eavesdroppers never heard anything good. It was amazing how often “they” were right. She took a small comb from her purse, brushed out her hair and put it back in her customary pony-tail, stalling to give the other women enough time to get away, then made her way back to the table.

She wished she were like Lily. Lily would have marched right out and made some witty comment. A virulent ache stung her throat.

As she sat down across from Gideon, she became abruptly aware of a malevolent energy present in her mind. It was subtle, a petty would never have noticed, but there nonetheless. She struggled to keep the strange entity ignorant of her discovery, focusing the surface of her thoughts on her grief, while at the same time scanning the crowd for the source.

Who, or what, was it? Was it the rogue or some new unknown threat? She took another sip of her drink, attempting to look oblivious. She didn’t dare try to get Gideon’s attention.

She shifted casually in her barstool, trying to get a look at the mirror behind the bar. She searched the faces of the patrons, all the time knowing it was probably useless. If it were the rogue and he was in the bar, he would cloak his appearance with an illusion of innocence, purity even.

She sent a tendril of magic into the room. A simple reveal spell intended to allow her to see through any glamour spells being used in the room. She prayed it would work against vampires.

She rechecked the mirror. Several mages across the room no longer sported full heads of hair. Numerous witches had had a sudden weight gain. Almost every magic user on the west side of the bar was just a bit less attractive than he or she had seemed a few moments earlier. She had had no idea glamours were so casually used. Still, she supposed everyone wanted to look his or her best on a Friday night. She touched her mark. If she had been an ordinary witch, she might have spared the energy to sustain such a spell.

The malignant being hovering in her mind began to fade. In seconds it was gone. Had it left the building, as well? Was it even now following a potential victim?

Gideon, Thalia spoke telepathically. With so many vampires around, it would be impossible to keep their conversation secret. Gideon gave no outward sign he had heard, but he dismissed the predatory blonde, who stalked off with a pout. He turned to Thalia.

What is it?

I just felt something. I don’t know what it was, but it was definitely evil. It’s gone now. If it’s the vampire, I think it may have gone after a victim.

Gideon stood. Let’s go.



He could feel the Butcher and the witch drawing closer. Perhaps his time had come?

He let the empty husk drop to the ground next to the corpse of her witch friend. These two he wouldn’t bother to move. They were well hidden among the trash bags and cans in the alley. Unless... An idea came to him. Yes, that would be perfect.

If he didn’t fulfill the prophecy tonight, he would come back later for one of the bodies.

He dragged the vast power of the Claiming from deep within and used it to cover himself in a cloak of invisibility.

This was going to be fun.



Gideon? Thalia asked as they stepped out onto the brick sidewalk. Do you feel that?

He nodded his head slowly. The sensation they were being observed by something powerful and evil crawled over him. He reached out with his mind, hunting for the source of the feeling. It seemed to be everywhere, and nowhere.

Layers of deception concealed the entity. He peeled back one putrid strata only to encounter more. He felt as if he were excavating a dung heap. Each descending level clung to him like an acidic web, burning and stinging. The strands throbbed with evil intent, tainting him, summoning the monster within, but still he worked.

Sweat bloomed on his forehead as he focused. His muscles strained in sympathy with his mind. Finally, he could discern a hint of the being’s true nature. It was a vampire. One of the most ancient and powerful he had ever encountered. A true adept, who, Gideon sensed, was toying with them at the moment. And he sensed something else.

“We’re too late. He’s already fed,” Gideon growled. Fury surged from deep within him. The demon inside savored the feeling even as it strained at its leash, fighting for release. Gideon drew strength from the raging monster within.

Thalia let out an audible sigh, a whisper full of sadness and resignation. She reached out to touch him, but he shook his head, warning her off.

Whoever this powerful ancient was, he was stalking them.

Gideon needed every scrap of concentration he could muster if they were to get out of this alive.

He pushed Thalia behind him. Go back into the bar, he ordered.

He knew from the complexity of the rogue’s defenses that this vampire was as old as he was and, enhanced by his recent Claiming, probably the most dangerous vampire he had ever fought. He had no choice.

As much as he hated for her to see his true self, he was going to let the demon have full rein.





Chapter 9



No. Thalia made her voice as resolute as she could. I’m the Champion. It was my cousin he murdered. I can take care of myself. I hope. She kept that final thought to herself.

Gideon turned back to her, black eyes flashing. I can’t afford to be distracted.

Maybe it will be you who distracts me? Did you ever think of that? Out of the corner of her eye, Thalia saw a faint blurry motion. She threw up a hand, muttering the last word of a potent shielding spell. A flash of blue light lit the area around them as something hit the shield, a huge misshapen blob Thalia couldn’t quite make out, and wasn’t sure she wanted to. It came with a foul odor and an aura so black and corrupt it seemed to stain the air it touched.

The thing reeled back from the force of the spell and howled, throwing back its bizarrely shaped head and raising unnaturally long arms in challenge. Thalia had never seen anything like it outside a horror movie. Spikes of black, pitted bone made up its skull and skeleton, which were all outside the body like an insect’s. It had glowing yellow eyes with flaming red pupils.