“With all due respect, High Councilman, you’re making a mistake,” Tanith snapped.
“I welcome your participation in this investigation as an ally,” Orpheus replied coolly. “But you would do well to remember that you are in mage territory.”
The air was sucked out of the room. I wanted to pump my fist to support Orpheus’s kick-ass display. But I refrained because at that moment the Despina looked like she was ready to jump across the table and, mage territory or no, show the High Councilman how vampires dealt with public shaming. Not very diplomatic of her, I must say.
However, she seemed to get herself under control quickly. Her nostrils flared as she sucked some air into her lungs and swallowed her pride. “Understood.”
Orpheus acknowledged that with a dignified nod. “I applaud your dedication. Just as I know Sabina and Adam appreciate Alexis’s assistance.”
This was the part where Adam and I were supposed to eagerly nod and make appreciative noises. Only one of us managed to pull that feat off. I was too busy swallowing the bile that always rose when politicians tried to force saccharine platitudes down my gullet. However, no one seemed to notice my discomfort. Except Alexis, who glared at me so hard I think I felt my skin burn.
Needless to say, as we all rose to go find Tiny, I wasn’t feeling very optimistic about the outcome of our upcoming chat.
The Fang Bang squatted between a liquor store and a brick tenement that escaped the 1990s Alphabet City gentrification. The facade of the two-story building was painted black. The only color at all was the red of the tufted vinyl door. The sign out front advertised the business as FB CLUB, MEMBERS ONLY.
Adam, Alexis, and I stood on the sidewalk outside the club discussing the plan. “Red, what can you tell us about the layout?” Adam asked.
“There are two exits—the front door and another at the rear of the hallway next to Tiny’s office. I never went to the second floor, but I assume that in a pinch, we’ll probably find a fire escape or two.”
“Where does the back door lead?” Alexis asked.
“An alley runs along the back of the building.”
She raised a brow. “You’re sure?”
“Positive.” I didn’t mention that I’d escaped into that alley after my last visit to the club. Or that I’d puked my guts out next to the Dumpster after the scent of Tiny’s singed skin made me physically ill. Or that Slade had to come pick me up because I’d been too out of it to make it home on my own.
“So how are we going to play this?” Alexis asked. “Since we’re not ambushing.” Her tone held lingering resentment. I ignored it. She didn’t like not being in charge? Too damned bad.
“What do you think, mancy? Good vamp, bad mage?”
Adam’s lip twitched. “Considering you kicked his ass last time you were here, I’m pretty sure Tiny won’t buy you as the good vamp.”
“Wait a second,” Alexis said. “You mentioned you’d been here before, but not that you fought this guy. Do you really think he’ll tell us anything if you’re there?”
I pursed my lips. I didn’t want to admit that she might be right. But in all honesty, I was expecting Tiny to take one look at me and sic his goons on us. “I’m hoping the three of us can talk some sense into him before he does anything stupid.”
“Or you could stay out here and let the mage and me handle it.”
I was already shaking my head halfway through her sentence. “Hell, no. I’m not freezing my ass off out here while you two get to have all the fun.”
“Sabina,” Adam said. “She may be right. We’re here for answers, not a fight.”
“Adam, this is a vampire club. They’re just as likely to attack when you walk in as they would be if they saw me.”
Adam frowned. “That would be the case in Los Angeles. This is New York. Even a slimeball like Tiny has to understand that pissing off the Hekate Council would be very bad for his health.”
“You must be joking,” I snorted. “Or did you forget the reason we’re here? Tiny is a suspect in the murder of a mage, Adam.”
Alexis raised a hand. “Guys, there’s a simple solution here. I’ll go in alone and find out what I can.”
“Oh, hell no,” Adam snapped. “You’re the one who wanted to kidnap the guy and cut his fingers off.”
She raised a brow. “Not his fingers.”
I rolled my eyes. “Look, like it or not, we’re all going in. Together.”
“Wait,” Adam said. He had that clever little gleam in his eye that always preceded an idea. “Sabina, why don’t we just use a glamour spell on you? Then Tiny won’t recognize you.”
I snapped my fingers. “Perfect!”
“Wait, why does the mancy have to do the spell on you?” she asked. “I thought you were all magical and shit.”
Her tone and her challenging glare tested my already thin patience. “I can’t do every type of spell in existence, Alexis. But I’d be happy to perform a demonstration of one of my specialties if you’d like.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“Well, we’re not close enough to a cemetery for me to summon the dead,” I said in a matter-of-fact tone, “so we’ll just have to settle for me forcing your body to spontaneously combust.”
Alexis pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, as if trying to decide if I was bullshitting. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer to skip the showing off and just get this job done before I choke on the overpowering stench of sandalwood.”
“Suit yourself.” I shrugged. Turning to Adam, I said, “What’s the plan?”
He noted the smirk on my lips and shook his head in that annoyed but amused way of his. “It’s fairly simple. We don’t need a complete transformation. Good thing, too, because I don’t want to deplete my energy too much in case shit goes down in there. Since your hair is a dead giveaway, I’ll just make it all red so Tiny believes you’re a full-blooded vamp. That should be enough to throw him off. Sound good?”
“Go for it.”
He mumbled something under his breath and waved his fingers around my head. The next instant my scalp crawled with magic. Alexis’s soft gasp proved the spell had worked.
“There. All done,” Adam said, brushing his hands together. “How do you feel?”
“The same.” I shrugged. “What do you think, Alexis? Is it enough of a disguise?”