Ravenous

been Turned into a demon. He said something about the Dark Larceny.'

Turning pale, Perry picked up the phone with a convulsive grab.

The sudden motion made Holly start. 'Who are you calling?'

'The Dark Larceny? I don't mean to frighten you, but this is serious. There's only one person I can think of who's got the books and stuff to deal with that.'

'Who?'

'Hey, Alessandro. It's Perry. Yeah, I've got your friend Holly in my office. Do you know where we can find Queen Omara?'

Chapter 24

Dances with Vampires Club Goth-a-Go-Go didn't sound up Holly's alley, but neither did a visit to the Queen of the Damned. Both were lurching like big-screen zombies on Holly's personal horizon.

The queen had gone underground, literally, beneath the club. DwV was just off campus, in one of the ancient hotels on Johnson Street. The top stories were all fancy brickwork and bay windows. By contrast, the main floor was a slice of hell in bloody neon and strobe lighting. Flashes of light smeared the darkness in time to a bone-jarring beat, leakage from the sensory assault within.

Thudda, thudda, thudda. Greatest hits of the Cro-Magnon era.

Icy wind blew up from the harbor a block away. A line of would-be patrons huddled against the ancient brick of the building, cold and miserable in their fishnet and muscle shirts.

Alessandro was there, waiting for Perry and Holly. She lagged behind as they approached, letting Perry move ahead. Alessandro waited, cutting her an anxious glance. 'You phoned me,' he said.

'Yeah, I did.'

He stood in front of her, blocking her way. 'The queen is in hiding. She stayed at my place last night.'

'Is that who answered?' Holly let a drop of hurt seep into her words.

'She slept there. That's all that happened.'

'Does that matter?'

'It does to me.' He took her hand. 'Believe me.'

'Why did you leave?'

'I had to. Like I had to leave the Flanders house.' He lifted her hand to his lips.

Holly shivered, cold and attraction creeping over her. 'Perry told you what happened with Mac?'

Alessandro gave a single nod, his eyes flaring as they caught the light. His mouth was a hard line. She suddenly realized he'd said nothing about the fact that Mac had kissed her. He had as much right to be jealous as she did.

She pulled her hand away, feeling small and confused.

'We'll figure out what he's done. Don't worry. It might be nothing.' He turned, leading them toward the door. The guardians at the gate, a pair of bouncers the size of SUVs, stopped them as they approached.

'Back of the line,' one said. A bullet-headed hulk, he was sporting the latest in all-over tattoos. He looked like the victim of a vicious wallpapering accident.

Perry inclined his head, all charm. 'This young lady has business with the queen.'

'She said no visitors.'

'We have an appointment.'

Wallpaper Boy was unimpressed. 'Yeah, pizza delivery, right? Or was that take-out geek cuisine? Get lost, asshole.'

Perry opened his mouth to argue, but Alessandro moved forward. 'You have shown how faithfully you serve our mistress, human. Now stand aside.'

Alessandro's voice held a haughty tone Holly had never heard him use before. Once again his eyes flared amber in the weird, epileptic light. The bouncer seemed to grow soft and squishy, all the aggression leaving his muscles. Holly and Perry exchanged a glance as Wallpaper Boy shuffled aside, his face slack and vacant. Alessandro had ripped away the bouncer's will.

As vampires went, Alessandro had always kept his presence low-key. Holly knew he had power, but up to that moment she'd had no idea how much. Not even a sorcerer could do that without using some sort of tool. He did it with just a look. Her hands grew sticky with nervous sweat. This is going to be an interesting night.

As if on cue, Alessandro turned to Perry, his expression contrite. 'I thank you sincerely for your help, but it's best you go now.'

Perry stepped back. 'Yeah, okay. I getcha.'

'What?' said Holly, her nerves spiking. 'Aren't you coming?'

Perry thrust his hands into his jacket pockets, bouncing a little to keep warm. 'Me wolf. Them vamps. It's a bad time. Too much tension.'

She looked back to Alessandro. He wore an unhappy frown. 'I don't want to risk an incident.'

Perry held his hand to his head, mimicking a phone. 'Call me later.' He turned and began jogging away from the club, back in the direction of his office.

'Wait a minute!' Holly hugged herself. 'If he's not safe, then what am I?'

'Under the protection of the queen. Under my protection.' Alessandro cupped her face in his hands. 'Trust me. You are safe tonight.'

Holly put her hand over his, willing herself to be calm. 'I trust you.'

He led them through the heavy wooden doors of the dance club. The sound hit Holly like a physical force, and she saw Alessandro cover his ears. It had to be sheer hell for those with superhearing.

The dance floor was packed solid with bodies vibrating with sound and whatever chemicals they had ingested. Holly elbowed her way through, struggling to stay in Alessandro's wake. She kept her eyes focused on his mane of pale hair, fighting the nausea-inducing flicker of the lights. Reaching back, he grabbed her hand. At his touch a thrill of memories from the night before fluttered through her nerves.

At the back of the main dance area was a service door painted with a yellow staff only warning. Two more bouncers stood before it. arms folded across overdeveloped pectorals. Human? Vampire? The lighting was so bad, Holly couldn't tell. Despite the dark, both had eyes hidden by wraparound shades, which must have reduced their vision to an oceanic murk.

Vampire. Alessandro stopped before them, raising his left fist to display one of the many pewter rings he wore. The security men nodded and one opened the door. Who knew vamps had secret decoder rings?

They were halfway down the stairs when Holly's hearing started to return, though she could still feel the vibration of the music through the metal handrail. The air was dank, as if the sea were an inch from the concrete walls. At the bottom Alessandro waited until she reached his side.

'When we are in the presence of the queen, do not speak unless she addresses you,' he said. There was grim tension in his voice, as if he were waiting in the chair for a root canal. 'This is not a formal court, but there will be other vampires present.'

'Can I raise my hand for attention if someone tries to bite me?' Holly asked, trying for humor.

Alessandro looked at her with heat in his eyes, possessive and urgent. 'I will not allow that to happen.'

That old-time caveman philosophy had never sounded so good. 'Promise?'

He laid his hand over his heart and smiled faintly. 'I don't share well.'

More bouncers waited outside a cheap bead curtain that separated the basement storage from the area Omara was using. They stood aside as Alessandro approached. Holly followed him past the guards, listening to the beads clack and swish behind them. They had come through three layers of security, and she was growing fretful about getting back out.

Two steps led down to a large semifinished room, obviously chosen for safety more than style. It was the last place anyone would expect to find a queen. The walls were bare concrete, the ceiling a network of pipes and beams. A balding indoor-outdoor carpet in orange paisley covered the floor. Rather than overhead lighting, candles