“And when you say loyal,” I went on, “are you implying that I’m supposed to be your cheerleader with all your crazy political stuff? Because I’m not about to stand up to the elves. No way. Nor do I want to be labeled a menace by the shifters in the Brink. More so than I am now, anyway.”
“Loyal to our secret, then. Darius will only reveal what is absolutely necessary regarding the case. Nothing more. You will be a protector of that truth. Your loyalty will be tied solely to…the inhabitants.”
Inhabitants?
“Right.” I drew the word out, hating my burning curiosity about what the vampires were hiding. It wasn’t worth my life or freedom. I needed to be sure about this decision.
“I need to mention that this bounty will be fraught with danger,” the vampire continued. “However, you will receive bonuses for every enemy of ours that you kill or turn over to us, to the tune of five thousand dollars. As a gesture of good faith, I will include the capture of your recent mark in that sum. This is in addition to, and paid separately from, the bounty we placed with your office.”
“Hmm.” They were holding money in front of me like a carrot to a donkey.
“Have no fear,” the vampire said. “Darius will be with you every moment. He is our strongest in combat and our most magically proficient. He’ll ensure you come to no harm.”
“Given what I saw, you will only occasionally be in grave peril,” Darius said, his voice deep and gruff compared to the music of the other vampire. I liked him better for it. It felt more human.
“Only occasionally? Well, that’s comforting,” I replied.
“Yes, I have heard you are exceptionally capable.” The other vampire nodded at me.
I couldn’t tell if he’d caught my sarcasm or not.
“So…to sum up.” I braced my hands on my hips. “Taking this job will earn me a bunch of money, but I’ll have a vampire mark burned into my skin, I’ll have to hang out with Mr. Arrogant twenty-four-seven, and there will be at least a few situations that might kill me.”
The unnamed vampire smiled. “Who doesn’t love a challenge?”
I blew out a breath. “Well, listen, the danger I could handle. The money I would gladly take. I might even consent to ignoring Darius’s presence for an extended period of time, since he’s nice to look at. But the prospect of future ties to vampires make this a no-go for me, sadly. You lot are fickle, nowhere near reasonable, despite your assertions, and not to be trifled with. I’d be a fool to tie myself to you, money or no. Thanks for the walk on the wild side, but I’ll be showing myself out.” I’d be trying to rob some gold while I did it, too.
I gave him a thumbs-up and stood. Before I could take a step, he said, “I will increase the bounty and buy you a house anywhere you choose. Choose a place in the Brink without property taxation, live among humans, and you’ll never have to work again. A slip-up to a human will be nothing, as you know. It is the magical community we are worried about.”
I tried to keep my feet moving, but they were pretty much rooted to the ground after that offer. It sounded like a dream. The problem was that vampires didn’t generally die, which meant I wouldn’t outlive them. Since I probably wouldn’t die either, at least for a very long time, I would eventually run out of money. That path led back to the bounty-hunting game and the magical community.
I shook my head. “Sounds great. But no, thanks. You can find someone else.”
“She is cautious,” the vampire said to Darius in a low hum. “You were correct—she’s perfect.”
“Nope. Not going to happen.” I made my way around the extremely expensive and probably stolen golden chair, scratching a little to see if any gold would flake off. What could I say, I was an opportunist. Behind, a wall of swampy vampires stood in my way. “Please have the decency to change back. I’m not used to this display of gross.”
“What will it take, human?” Darius asked.
“I’ve already said—I will not be tied to vampires.” I half turned back. The smaller chair sat vacant. “What the hell? Where’d the other guy go?”
“I can make it so you are not tied to us.” Darius rose and took a step forward, ignoring the questions.
“How?”
“I will keep from you that which is secret. First, you will study the entrance point of the secret place, but will venture no further. After that, we will head to the Brink. Your dealings with us will be limited to this contract.”
I squinted at him. “Why didn’t you make that offer in the beginning?”
“Forging bonds is in our interest. Doing that with fear of death has shown to work the best.”
“Clearly not, since you can’t trust mages.”
He blinked quickly, clearly surprised by my comment. Truth bomb!
“What about the money?” I asked, skeptical.
“How much more do you require?”
“Thirty grand.” It was a knee-jerk reaction. I’d really been asking if all that money was still on the table, but I wasn’t about to decline getting more. “But I will settle for another fifteen.”
He nodded.
Don’t do the happy dance. Don’t do the happy dance. Stop that foot from moving!
“No forced loyalty?” I reiterated.
“No. We will settle for a contractual relationship.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“What about me?”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t want to be with you the whole time.”
“Of course you do.” His brow furrowed. “All female humans do, and many males.”
“Good gracious. How does the weight of that ego not crush your spine?” I shook my head in wonder. “But no, Mr. Suave, I don’t want your company all the time. In fact, I’d rather you give me directions and bugger off. I work best on my own.”
“Foolish,” he scoffed. “You would die in the first day. I will give you privacy for toiletries and other human functions. Will that ease your mind?”
“Wait.” I held up a hand. “You’re planning on being with me all the time? Like…in the same room?” I chuckled. “That’s not going to happen.”
“It’s settled, then.” He stalked toward me with an outstretched hand.
“You have a listening problem.” I hid my hand behind my back so he couldn’t grab and shake it. “I won’t be sharing rooms with you. When I’m off-duty, I’m off-duty.”
“Of course. Let us begin. Time is wasting.” He loomed over me with his hand held out. Granted, he was only a head taller, but it seemed like so much more, what with the broad shoulders and all the muscle.
I took a step back. “Tonight? Don’t I get time to sleep?”
“When you are ready to fall from exhaustion, I will give you something to revive you.”
“Not your blood, I hope.” I eyed his hand, which had changed position. He was no longer looking to shake, but now directing me to the side of the room as if the shake had already happened.
“I didn’t mean my blood, no, but I would be willing.”
“I’ll bet you would. A few swap-a-roos and you could leave that mark on me. I have no idea why you’re trying so hard. I’m the best bounty hunter in the area, but certainly not the best in the nation.”
“Vlad is eager for an alliance with you. Come.”
My legs went numb and I stumbled, no longer trying to stand my ground about the rooming situation. All I could focus on was that name.
“That was Vlad?” I whispered. Having Vlad’s attention was very bad news. Very bad. Probably the worst news of the day, actually.
“Yes. I relayed my experiences from our meeting yesterday. Naturally, he wanted a meeting of his own. His offer speaks volumes of his hopes for you.”
Pressure squeezed my chest. “I’m confused.”
“You are human, at least in part. That is to be expected.”
“This partnership between you and I isn’t going to work, I can already tell,” I said on autopilot. My lips were numb and my mind was blank.
Vlad was, quite possibly, the oldest living vampire in existence. He played with Brink nations like children played with toys. The guy was a constant, constant thorn in the elves’ side, and was whispered about in the magical community.
I’d almost turned him down. That would have been worse than agreeing to work for him. Probably.
I swallowed down the lump in my throat. Darius had said he wouldn’t tie me to the vampires. I had to make sure that was true.
We walked into a tunnel off the main hall. It looked more like an arched-ceilinged hall from another era. The walls resembled that of historical palaces, lined with candleholders and oil paintings wrapped in large, gaudy frames. The soft glow of candlelight illuminated the way.
“You guys have really put some work into this place,” I said, my voice a little strained. “This is great.” I ran my finger along the wall. Painted stone.
“Where did you think we lived, in a pit?” he scoffed. I didn’t mention that the appearance of their entryway was pretty close. “We had thought to welcome you with light.” He gestured to accentuate his comment. “Were you using magic to see in the darkness?”