The Sweet Scent of Blood

Chapter Twenty-Six

The fire-exit door slammed shut behind me. The shortcut was an empty corridor lit by fluorescent tubes. That and lack of luxurious carpeting on the easy-clean floor, the bare painted walls, unoccupied office, another fire-exit and a cleaning cupboard told me this wasn’t one of the public areas.

There was only one other place left to go.

Ornate blue and silver lettering above the double doors read Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol. The twin masks of Comedy and Tragedy looked like the fossilised faces of long-extinct giants. They were thickly coated with silver leaf. One cried a single ruby teardrop the size of a hen’s egg, the other laughed wide, showcasing a set of fangs too large to belong to any vampire. There was nothing beguiling about either of the faces, but they left no doubt as to the entertainment on offer.

The Blue Heart’s website had listed the Théâtre as open for VIP members only on Saturdays—looked like I’d just been upgraded—but it was odd that someone had spent a lot of money decorating an entrance that no one, other than the club’s staff, seemed likely to use.

My gut twisting with unease, I pulled open the doors.

Soft, spine-chilling music floated out of the dark interior, along with the faint copper scent of recently spilled blood. Five or six rows of tables in expanding semi-circles faced a raised stage. All the tables were occupied, but no one looked round as I entered. Every member of the audience was staring in wrapt anticipation at the stage. The set scenery was that of a derelict graveyard. Whatever the play was—and something told me I wasn’t going to need more than three guesses—it owed more to the star-struck movie legends than to the less romantic realities of vampiric existence.

I looked, but there was no magic to find. Not that I cared that much, but I was beginning to think the Earl was going to be disappointed with my investigations.

‘Come in, little sidhe,’ Rio’s voice whispered. As she spoke, a mist of dry ice rolled out from behind the ivy-strangled headstones and off the stage to swirl around the audience’s legs like a malevolent gathering of abandoned ghosts.

I let the doors swing closed behind me and turned towards where Rio’s cap of pale blue curls shone in the dim light. She’d gone to enough trouble to get me in here. I hoped it was because of Melissa, and not just because she was hungry, or that she was snapping at the Earl’s bait.

‘Welcome to the House of Hammer, where terror stalks even the stoutest of hearts.’ She cast me a quick sideways glance, before her gaze returned to the stage.

My own heart banged against my ribs. Comedy time, not!

‘Looks like a popular place,’ I said flatly. ‘Business must be good.’

Rio put her finger to her lips. ‘Shh, the next act is about to start.’

And lucky me, I’d arrived just in time.

I stuck a hand in my jacket pocket and fingered the silver invitations as I scanned the room. It was full of vampires, with an odd scattering of humans. As my eyes adjusted, I recognised most of them from my Sucker Town outings. They were all of them Golden Blade blood, and last I heard, they were still refusing to jump on the celebrity bandwagon, so what the hell were they doing here?

The music struck a chord and a young woman entered stage right, her eyes wide and frightened, the front of her diaphanous white nightgown clutched tight in her hands, loose curls of long dark hair snaking down to her hips. The audience leaned forward almost as one as she stood trembling in the manufactured fog, pinned in place by the beam of a bright spotlight.

I gave a long-suffering sigh, but kept my voice low. ‘Isn’t this all a little old hat? The graveyard scene’s been done to death. I’d have thought you’d have more imagination.’

‘Who needs imagination?’ Rio’s fangs glinted white with her smile.

Suspicion edged into my mind and I studied the human girl on the stage. Sweat glistened on her terrified face as she stumbled to the centre of the stage and thudded to her knees next to a fake stone coffin. She curled up, shaking. She appeared to be completely unaware of the audience who were drinking down her every quiver.

Damn. She was living the scene for real.

‘You’ve got her in a mind-lock, haven’t you?’ I clenched my fists. ‘I thought you weren’t supposed to do this type of shit here. Willing victims only.’

Rio chuckled, and the sound crawled over my skin.

Onstage the girl had been joined by a vampire. His classic black opera cape flapped about him in a nonexistent wind—had to be a vamp-party-trick—and his red silk shirt shone under the spotlights. He’d scraped his long platinum hair into a sleek pony-tail, complete with the requisite widow’s peak, and with his hooded eyes and thin, cruel lips he was perfect for the part, in more ways than one. The vamp acting the Big Bad Count was none other than Red Poet, leader of the Sucker Town fang-gang.

I felt my pulse speed up a notch.

Red Poet opened his jaw wide, letting the light spark off all four of his fangs, and the audience joined him in a series of loud pantomime hisses.

‘Such sweet blood runs through your veins.’ Rio held out a hand to me. ‘Come closer, little sidhe, for I will enjoy this all the more with your delicious scent teasing me.’

I ignored her. Rio was entirely too happy, which could only mean one thing: the girl had agreed to—well, whatever was going to happen. She’d probably even signed the deal in her own blood. I looked around for confirmation and found it in the small Monitor goblin sitting in the front row, tapping the red light of his radio earpiece.

I hoped the girl understood what she’d got into, but I was willing to bet she hadn’t. Vampires could be as tricky as the fae to bargain with when it suited them.

Red Poet stalked through the mock-graveyard, peering over every headstone, hamming it up big-time. The music crescendoed as his intended victim huddled in full view, tremors racking her plump body.

‘Audience participation is such a wonderful thing, don’t you think?’ Rio’s eyes never left the stage. ‘What could be more exciting, more thrilling, than to watch, and to feel, real fear?’ Excitement laced her voice. ‘To actually feel the heart beating faster and faster, the blood rushing through your body in a pounding torrent...’ She took a deep breath. ‘What better way is there, when you feel so alive in those moments just before you die?’ She let out a gusty sigh. ‘True terror is such a rare and precious commodity in these over-enlightened days.’ She sent me a sly smile. ‘And like any commodity’—she spread her arms wide, encompassing the whole room—‘it can be bought and sold.’

I threw Rio a disgusted look. ‘You’re all going along for the ride, aren’t you?’

She held out her hand again. ‘Would you like to join us?’

‘Thanks, I’ll pass.’ I backed off; this wasn’t getting me anywhere and I had better places to be. I went to push against the door, but instead of wood, found my hand meeting cool flesh. Rio had moved too fast for me to see and now she stood between me and the exit, arms braced to either side of the door, blocking my way.

‘Stay with me, little sidhe,’ she murmured.

I stared at my hand flat against her chest, the deep V of her sheer blouse brushing against my wrist, my own honey-coloured hand looking pale against her darker skin. Her heart thumped under my palm sending little shockwaves along my arm. Mesma. I wanted to take my hand away, but I couldn’t. The little shocks felt too irresistible.

My throat tightened with fear: she was way more powerful than I’d thought.

Rio pushed closer. Instinct screamed at me to step back. Instead I let my body do what she wanted. I bent my elbow, bringing us nearer, and looked up into her eyes. The whites were as blue as her hair. Her scent, musk, mint and liquorice, clouded my mind and I leaned into her, wrapping my other hand around the back of her neck.

‘Well, this is a surprise, little sidhe.’ She lowered her head, her mouth parted in anticipation. ‘Who’d have thought?’

Our lips met, soft at first, then I pressed mine hard against hers, taking the kiss even deeper. I could feel her heart fluttering fast and frantic under the palm of my hand. I slid my tongue across her cool lips. Hers darted out, eager. The tang of copper mixed with the bitter mint caught in my throat. I dragged my mouth from hers, my hand still against her flesh.

‘Is this what you want, Rio?’ I breathed the words into her face.

She swayed towards me, arms still outstretched, her hands on the door frame holding her upright.

I trailed my hand lower, touching the trembling skin of her stomach. ‘Is this why you rushed out to greet me?’

A small, inarticulate sound issued from her parted lips.

I slid my fingers into the top of her leather hotpants. ‘Why you’ve been so eager for me to join you?’

She shuddered, her breath coming in excited little huffs.

I stepped sharply to the side, stuck my leg out and jerked hard on her shorts. Off-balance, she stumbled forward, her eyes flashing open, her arms windmilling. I thumped my hand between her shoulders and pushed her down. She landed on her front, her chin cracking hard against the wooden floor. Her breath gasped out as I dropped down to sit astride her and I slapped my hands on her arms and leaned my weight on her, pinning her to the floor.

‘Or was there something you wanted to tell me?’ I leaned down and whispered into her ear.

Then the screaming started.

Onstage, Red Poet had caught the girl and was holding her from behind, trapping her body tightly against his. The audience were transfixed, revelling in her terror. Tears coursed down her face as her struggles grew weaker. He gently wiped the tears away, then lifted her chin, stretching her neck so the large pulse jumped under the skin.

Beneath me, Rio laughed.

He reared back his head.

Shit! Rio was controlling him—

‘Make him stop,’ I shouted in her ear.

Red Poet froze, fangs poised to strike.

Rio turned so our faces were almost touching. ‘Shh, little sidhe,’ she purred, ‘you wouldn’t want him to hurt her now, would you? Just a slight miscalculation on his part, and there would be a tragic accident. And of course, she signed the disclaimer of her own free will, all our special guests do ... the Monitor goblin will vouch for that.’

Was she bluffing?

As if she’d read my mind, she whispered, ‘Unlike some, our plump little starlet doesn’t have the protection of the Earl, or a religious mother, or a celebrity boyfriend—no one would even remember her, if her performance tonight should be her swan song.’

Not bluffing then.

The girl could disappear tonight, and unless the contract called for the Monitor to register her death, no one would ever know. Humans really didn’t understand just how literal goblins were sometimes.

‘I suppose you want me to move, then?’ I muttered.

She gave another skin-crawling chuckle. ‘Please don’t. This is a delectable situation.’

Okaaay, so she liked being pinned to the floor ... ‘Fine,’ I snapped.

‘Oh, wonderful: now you can enjoy the show, and I can murmur sweet nothings in your tempting ear. Come closer, little sidhe,’

I sighed and bent nearer until my face was next to hers. Vampires do so love their games.

Back onstage, Red Poet had let the girl go and now she was crawling desperately away from him, half strangling herself with her nightgown as she did so. He tiptoed after her, exaggerating every move: a true pantomime villain.

Rio shifted beneath me. ‘You’ve been asking about poor Melissa. A great shame, her death, she was such a delightful pet.’

‘I’m not here for the eulogy, so just get on with it, Rio.’

‘Very well. Melissa came to me the night before she died and told me she had some information she wanted to sell to me.’

‘She was blackmailing you.’

She laughed softly, the sound vibrating through me. ‘Melissa was much like me; she had ambitions. She understood that the right word or deed could be used as leverage, or be a very effective weapon.’

Touché. ‘So Melissa was blackmailing you.’

‘She was smart, and she had her eye on a bright and shiny future.’ Rio arched one black brow. ‘It’s always possible she was blackmailing someone, don’t you think? I liked her. She was a girl after my own heart.’ She winked. ‘That’s why I agreed to be her sponsor.’

I frowned. Melissa already had a sponsor: Declan at the Bloody Shamrock.

‘I see no one’s shared that information with you, have they?’ Rio tutted. ‘But don’t you find it interesting that she had not one, not two, but three sponsors? Me, of course, the Earl, and Declan. And there was to be another, but he had still to declare.’

My back was starting to ache. ‘Let me guess: that’d be Malik al-Khan.’

‘You have been busy.’ She sniffed the air. ‘But I was meaning our other visitor, the Frenchman.’

I needed to clear something up. ‘So did you agree to be her sponsor before or after she decided to sell you information?’

‘Before, of course.’ She licked her lips. ‘I declared my intentions some time ago.’

For a moment I’d almost forgotten what was happening a few feet in front of me, but a low moan dragged my attention back to the stage where Red Poet was enjoying himself draping the terrified girl on top of the stone coffin. He flashed a fang-filled grin and tipped her head back, exposing her throat, and started carefully arranging her hair so it wouldn’t obstruct the audience’s view.

The music deepened ominously.

‘So what’s this information then?’ I asked.

Rio sighed. ‘Maybe you’ll tell me when you find out, little sidhe. Unfortunately, Melissa was silenced before she could tell me what it was.’

Figured! Rio’s little games were just her way of jumping on the spell bandwagon with all the other vamps. And she hadn’t even given me much more in the way of information.

The music rose on a drum roll and Red Poet lifted his arms, his cape billowing dramatically behind him.

‘Watch this bit,’ Rio tensed with excitement, ‘this is the best part.’

The music cut out. The audience members were almost out of their seats with anticipation.

A wooden stake bloomed in Red Poet’s chest, spraying a fountain of blood—

Light and smoke exploded, obscuring the stage.

I blinked in shock. Had they just staked him for real?

The smoke cleared, unveiling two figures locked in a passionate embrace. The music resumed, this time soft and romantic. The figures broke apart and the girl’s saviour flicked back her long red hair and flashed a fang-filled grin. The two of them giggled and took a bow as the audience erupted into loud applause.

‘Such a wonderful moment.’ Rio sighed with pleasure as the lights cut out, plunging the Théâtre in darkness.

She heaved and rolled and my back hit the floor.

And the lights flared back on to reveal Rio, on her hands and knees above me. ‘Happy endings,’ she purred, looking down, ‘don’t you just love them?’

I fumbled in my jacket, my pulse racing. ‘Is that what you want?’

Her tongue darted out. ‘Isn’t it what we all hope for?’

‘What about the star of the show,’ I demanded, ‘can she hope for a happy ending?’

‘I’m sure she can. We all need hope, little sidhe, otherwise what is there to live for?’ She blew me a kiss. ‘Take away hope, and there is nothing left.’ Her mouth opened wide in a fang-filled grin, much as the girl’s saviour had done, and she started to lower her head.

‘Even when hope is gone,’ I slammed the silver invitation against her chest, ‘there is always retribution.’

She shrieked and leapt back like a scalded cat, hands flapping frantically. Then her mouth gaped and she slid unconscious to the floor. My own mouth opened in shock as smoke wisped between my fingers and the smell of burnt flesh choked my throat, both mine and hers.

Shit. Her reaction was way more dramatic than I’d expected. Coughing, I scrambled round in a crouch, ready to face the audience; they were all staring like it was just part of the entertainment. My hands fisted. What the hell would happen when they realised it wasn’t?

Then a dainty blonde vampire in a twenties-style beaded dress stood up: Elizabetta, head of the Golden Blade family.

I registered who she was almost without noticing.

This was not good.

She inclined her head graciously, then brought her hands together and clapped.

The rest of the watching audience joined in.

Relief tumbled inside me. I dropped the invitation back in my pocket and swiped the back of my hand over my mouth. ‘Thanks for the chat, Rio,’ I muttered.

Cue my exit.