Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel #1)(18)

“Insane?”

“Yeah. They need the company of other Fae. At least a little. So a lot of them come here and join the Fae Guild.”

“Eve lives in her guild tower?”

“No. She’s like me—a loner. It’s enough for her to be a member of the guild. She lives next to me, actually.”

“That’s cool.”

Mac stopped, and I realized we’d appeared in another grassy square at the edge of town. We stood amongst the shops and restaurants on one side, staring at the tower on the other. It was situated in the middle of the huge wall that surrounded Guild City, and it was easily one of the creepiest towers I’d seen, black-painted stone with windows of red glass that glinted in the sunlight. The one door was guarded by two huge men who looked like bouncers.

“Which guild is this?” I asked.

“This is the only tower in town that doesn’t belong to a guild. It belongs to the Devil.”

“My vampire suspect? How’d he get a guild tower to himself?”

“No one is sure. But he’s had it forever, and no one dares take it from him.”

“If he’s some kind of criminal kingpin, then why doesn’t the local government do anything about it?”

“Do what? He’s more powerful than they are.” She shrugged. “And no one can prove anything. Most believe he just owns a few clubs around town.”

“Does he do really bad stuff? Like human trafficking and murder?”

“Until now, with this murder thing, I haven’t heard of him dealing in anything super evil. Which is why I’m letting you go in there alone. But he’s done bad stuff—mostly dealing in magic, which is carefully regulated by the Council of Guilds. They keep much tighter control on things in here, compared to magical cities in the rest of the world.”

I nodded. “Okay, I can handle a mostly bad vampire kingpin, no problem.” I laughed, low and surprised. “My life has turned insane.”

“It’s always been insane. You just haven’t seen it.”

“Good point.” It’s not like my ability to read objects was new. “Thanks, Mac.”

“Sure thing. If you're not out in an hour, I’m coming in.”

“Don’t risk yourself.”

“I do what I want.” She gave the last word a lilt that made me smile.

I turned and strode across the grass, committed to my plan. He’d seen me at the murder scene—it had been clear in my visions—so trying to trick him wasn’t going to work. I could still be crafty, but I’d be upfront.

And I had these two handy potions, one in me and the other in my pocket.

The two bouncers glared as I approached. Their dark suits were pressed and made of a tough, tactical material. It was a pretty cool look, actually. Not that I got out much to determine what was cool. My only girls’ night out had been a few hours ago when I’d sneaked into the club with the hen party.

Both men were eerily handsome, with powerful builds and an almost animal grace.

“Reason for entry?” the guy on the right asked.

Inspiration struck. “Your boss wants to see me.”

It was true, after all. He’d called me to him.

He raised his wrist and spoke into the charm there, his words low and muffled. After a moment’s pause, he turned, opening the door. “He’s waiting for you.”

Maybe I was imagining the ominous tone to his voice, but I thought not.

The interior of the building was cool, dark, and quiet. The stone floor gleamed with a dark light, like onyx set with stars. The walls themselves were papered in dark velvet, and the lights were sharp and modern.

A slender woman with milk-pale skin and straight dark hair waited for me. Her black dress molded to her form, looking more appropriate for evening than midafternoon.

“Come.” Her voice was smooth and even. “I’m here to take you down.”

She didn’t call my quarry the Devil, and I wondered if his staff called him that or just people like Mac. My heart thundered in my ears as she led me through the only door in the room, which opened into a beautiful nightclub.

The whole place reeked of money and power, with magnificent furnishings and chandeliers that glittered with golden light. The tables were carved of black stone, and the enormous stage was silent. Though there were a few people in the place, they appeared to be speaking quietly.

Having meetings? Magical mob meetings?

Holy crap, what had I gotten myself into?

Fortunately, none of them looked at me, and I kept my head down as I followed the woman. Despite my posture, I made a point to take in all the exits—three—and everyone in the room. If I had to run for it, I wanted to know exactly where I was going and get out fast.

The woman led me through one of the exits, entering a hallway that was simply decorated with dark gray paint and plain light fixtures. As we walked, I grew oddly disoriented.

She turned around and caught my eye. “Don’t worry about how you’re feeling. It’s a spell to make it hard to find your way back in, but it should do no lasting damage.”

“Of course.” I tried to act like that was normal, but it sure as hell wasn’t.

By the time we reached a large door at the end of a hallway, I was completely lost. Even if I did try that freezing potion, I might end up stuck in this hallway forever.