Club V

We could drive in silence but I need to know, "the clothes."

"What?"

"The clothes in Poppy, I mean Mia's room where did they come from?"

"Ma was always hopeful he would bring Mia back, so she made her a variety of things for her to wear."

"Why not go after him?" I take a turn and let out a growl when the light turns red. These are the times I wish I could just ride Nightmare no waiting for lights to change and people generally move out of the way at the sight of him.

"You see the scar."

"Yeah."

"He gave it to me before snatching Mia away, the blade he used was poisoned," he pauses, "I almost died."

"I've never almost died it's usually all the way with me," I say, "she always sends me back."

"What?"

"Forget about it," I pull in to a parking spot a few blocks away and reach into my duffel, "wear this," I hand him an incense necklace clasping two around my neck.

He frowns at it, "why?"

"It'll mask your sent," I say, placing a hand on either side of his face, "now sit still I've never done this before," I close my eyes and think of what I want him to look like his eyes become single tone, his hair remains the same but the facial hair and scar are gone and his skin gets a bit lighter.

When I open my eyes, I find it worked I bite my lip to keep from smiling. His pupils are dilated and his heartbeats accelerated, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I nothing," he looks into the rear-view mirror as I imagine my onyx hair is now ruby red my skin slightly darker my ears round and my eyes silver, "guess mom did all that work for nothing."

"There was always the chance this wouldn't work," I place a silver ring on my right pointer finger shaped like a claw and another on my middle finger on my left hand, "I'm not used to magic."

"What are those?"

"Rings," I open my door and hop down, Jackson follows behind me. Once the truck is locked, we head down the street towards the noise. A line snakes around a lamp post and down the opposite alley, "I guess it's a good thing your mom's dress is so tight."

"Ma's a designer," Jackson says as we walk up to the bouncer.

A girl snickers when the bouncer blocks my path, rather than speaking I tilt my head sideways and give him a bored look. He clears his throat nervously and lets me up the concrete steps, "he's mine," I say before he can block Jackson's path. I look towards the girl that snickered and give her a wolf's grin.

Inside the music's too loud I place a shield around my ears and head for the bar. We glide past moving bodies too caught up in the trans of the music to notice us. A Vamp gives me a once over but when his eyes land on my silver ones he inclines his head and walks away. Silver eyes are rare among immortals more so among Vampires.

The bartender fills a cocktail glass with a blood and honey mixture and hands it to a pretty brunet. Why would you do that to honey? I take Jackson's hand and lead him back to the dance floor; I need a better vantage point.

"Tell me you can dance?"

He raises an eyebrow in challenge, I turn and press my back against his chest moving my hips to the music. His hands move down to my hips I throw my head back pretending to enjoy the euphoric music. There's a balcony overlooking the dance floor a male Vampire leans on the railing probably scouting for his next prey. Jackson lowers his nuzzling my neck he whispers, "what are you looking for?"

I lift my hands up one going to his neck the other to his hair, "I'll tell you when I find it," I whisper, "also try to think of something else mortal's eyes don't dilate like that."

He clears his throat, "you're making it hard...

"I'm aware, but you should have some self-control," I spin around him then back, the balcony seems to spiral around the club. More Vamps look down but none are the one I need.

Jackson moves closer pressing his face into the nook of my neck, "tell me you found what you're looking for."

"Not yet," I move his hair out of the way and without warning bite his neck. Fay, have elongated canines in contrast to mortals but still shorter than Vampire fangs. Jackson stiffens as I drink from him, we earn the attention of various Vamps but still not the one I'm looking for. The scent of blood fills the air as Vamps start feeding of their prey. I stab one of my silver nails into my palm and smear the blood over Jackson's wound to keep the fact that he's healing hidden.

The moment I bring my bloody hand to my lips I spot him and he spots me. Our eyes lock as I lick the blood dripping down my wrist. His pupils dilate just from watching me run my tongue up my wrist and onto my palm the moment I suck the blood of the silver nail he jumps off the railing landing as gracefully as a cat. He stalks towards us the sea of bodies parting for him.

"And who may you be?" I ask.

He gives me a predatory smile I'm sure he thinks looks seductive, "my name is Anton I believe we've met before."

I give a sweetly wicked smile, "I'm sure we have," I let go of Jackson and move towards Anton, "we should talk in private," I flick his chin with one of my silver nails.

He catches my wrist and brings it to his lips, I stand perfectly still as he places a kiss over my wrist then inside my palm, "whatever you want I'll give."

I nod for him to lead the way Jackson follows close by head inclined as if my bite had truly affected him. Anton leads us through the sea of people up the stairs and into a private area of the balcony. When Fie projected Zinia's memories this club and her cronies were amongst the things I saw. At that moment it all seemed insignificant but now, now I'm glad for my eidetic memory.

One of Anton's lackeys closes the door behind us the private area has leather seats against the wall and a small bar that overlooks the dance floor. Anton pins me against the door one hand on my throat the other on my waist. I gesture Jackson to stay back and slip one hand up Anton's shirt the way I saw Zinia do in her memories. He shivers at my touch relaxing enough for me to take control.

His pupils dilate the moment I toss him onto the leather seats and straddle him. I bring my lips close to his ear, "I need something from you."

"Anything," he places his hands on either side of my hips and starts to grind up against me but I stop him.

"So impatient," I dig a clawed hand into the back of his neck, "this will hurt," I plunge into his mind breaking down every wall he's built. Searching digging until I find what I need, Fie's no longer here that idiot let himself be captured. There's no way a lowlife like Anton would have been able to capture him otherwise. I pull out of his mind I tighten my hold on his neck digging my claws in until I'm touching bone and pull his spine out.

"Your services were greatly appreciated," I say, "but I'm afraid your times run out," Anton collapses to the floor a pool of blood-forming.

"Remind me never to piss you off," Jackson says.

I walk over to the little bar and wash my hands using one of the hairpins to clean the flesh out of my nails, "you should go, I doubt Maya wants you involved in what happens next."

"What exactly happens next?"

"Everything goes boom," I say, and summon my bow to me just in time to shoot the lackey down, "such a nuisance."

"How did you do that?" Jackson asks picking up the lackey's fallen gun.

"What Vamp uses a gun?" I ask, opening several bottles of liquor I press the button under the bar and the glass opens, "you really should go," I pray this works calling my magic to me I send the bottles flying out the balcony and into the crowd remembering the Dark Flame I've seen master use I pull the bowstring back, "burn," I whisper and let go arrows of Dark Flame zoom out hitting the liquor bottles.

Flame rains down on mortals and vamps alike consuming everything in its path. Jackson sucks in a breath at the sight of my destruction. I move too fast for him to see and knock him out and toss him over my shoulder. One minute I'm thinking about my truck the next I'm standing next to it.

This is exhausting how the fuck those Fie do it. I toss Jackson into the trunk and take the incense charm of him then bind him with a spell Master taught me. Unless I take it off, he won't be able to move. I get into the driver's seat and pick up my back up phone. There are four unread messages two from Maya and two from unknown numbers.

Maya: Call me

Maya: I found your friend

1st Unknown #: have you found him?

2nd Unknown #: kill the wolf.

I call the first unknown number it rings three times and then Master's voice is on the other line, "I take it you know where he is?"

"I have a good idea," I say, "the order to kill the wolf is that from you?"

"No," Master says, "did you get what you needed from Maya?"

"Maybe once I find your grandson, I'll bring it to you."

"So, you know," the Dark King says, "good also kill the wolf."

"Yes sir."

"Why couldn't you get your own student?" I hear Master ask, there's some mumbling and then Master's back on the line, "did you get my other message?"

"About that, is Poppy truly dead?"

"Not as far as I'm aware, who said she was?"

"Before Hummingbird gave me your message someone left me an envelope with photographs of Poppy, Sorrel, Somin, and myself it said one down three to go who will be next care to guess."

"I'll send Sparrow your way."

"Understood."

"Anastasia."

"Yes?"

"Get that fool back and don't get killed," with those parting words the line goes dead.

Here goes nothing, I text Maya sorry can't talk, where is he?

I connect my phone to the car's speakers and start the engine. The voice system reads out Maya's message, "at the docks, where is Jackson?"

"Jackson said he was heading home, I had no use for him," I say, and press the send icon on the screen.

Sorry Poppy but I have my orders, I drive out of the City of Katalina and don't stop until I've reached the outskirts. In the cover of darkness, I take Jackson out of the trunk and into an old cave.

Somewhere in the distance a coyote howls as I take the gun he picked up from the lackey and shot him two shots to the head. I melt the gun liquid metal dripping onto his corpse, "you can thank Maya for your demise, she should have never sided with that bastard," I douse the corpse in accelerant and strike the match. If anyone finds him it has to seem the act of mortals.