The Entity Within

mouth? Was she thinking about him drinking blood or was she remembering their hot kiss in the middle of the night?

The fact that he was a vampire hadn’t seemed to bother her then. But the fact that she was a witch hadn’t bothered him then, either.

Upstairs in her workroom, he’d been surrounded by so many scents. His vamp senses intensified sight, sound, and smell. Now he associated all those smells with her. Lemon, lavender, cinnamon, apple, and others that he couldn’t name, but they all had a certain intoxication.

As did Zoe. He could hear the beat of her heart, sense the blood pulsing through her body. The predator within him urged him to possess her.

The opening notes of Phantom of the Opera floated up from the vent in the floor. A second later the music abruptly stopped and flames shot up from the vent.

“Fire!” Bella howled and flew upstairs.

Neville’s voice came through the surveillance system a moment later. “It’s happening all over Vamptown.”

Gram stood and immediately cast a spell.

Fire, fire, this is dire.

Magic and lore,

Flames no more.

The flames continued.

Gram frowned. “That should have worked. Zoe, you try.”

Zoe repeated the spell. The flames continued and were getting dangerously close to the drapes.

The possibility of the house burning down was not one Zoe was willing to accept. There had to be another way …

Zoe pictured the item needed in her mind and a moment later it appeared. A fire extinguisher.

Damon grabbed it and aimed it at the flames.

“What about the rest of Vamptown?” Zoe asked.

“The vamps all have fire extinguishers.”

“Daniella’s cupcake shop?”

“Has extra fire extinguishers,” Damon said.

Gram opened the windows to let the smoke out and the fresh air in.

Pat was in their living room an instant later. “This is getting dangerous.”

“The flames were put out,” Damon said.

“This time.” The words came from Tanya. She stood just inside the doorway with two vampires by her side. “Who knows what will happen next? We can’t take the chance. The witches have been called before the Vamptown Council for immediate action.”

Chapter Twenty

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Gram said.

“What does ‘called before the council’ mean?” Zoe asked.

“It means you are both to haul your asses over there immediately,” Tanya said.

Zoe shot a nervous glance at Damon. “You’re not going to grab me at vamp super speed, are you?”

“No.”

“And no other vamps are going to try to grab us and do that, right?”

“There won’t be any grabbing going on,” Pat said.

“Unless you fight the order.” Tanya looked like she was hoping Zoe and her grandmother would do just that.

“We’re not fighting. I’m just trying to understand what is happening,” Zoe said. “Where are we supposed to be going?”

“For security reasons we will be having the meeting in Nick’s bar,” Tanya said.

“Where is Nick?” Zoe demanded.

“Waiting for us in the bar,” Tanya said. “Along with the rest of the Vamptown Council.”

“How many are in this council?” Zoe asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Stop stalling.” Tanya nodded to the two vampires by her side. “Take them.”

Damon stepped in front of Zoe. “I told them there would be no grabbing. They can accompany you without force.”

Zoe saw Bella and Morticia in the shadows at the top of the stairs.

Stay here. She sent the telepathic message to Morticia and prayed that Bella would pick up on it as well.

“This isn’t really my going-outside outfit,” Gram said. She turned, and her colorful caftan was replaced with the knockoff vintage Chanel suit she’d worn when they’d first met Nick and Damon. The magic only worked between that particular caftan and that suit.

Tanya was not impressed. “You’d think a witch could come up with a better outfit than that. What about you?” She directed her question to Zoe. “Are you going to use your magic to change clothes, too?”

“No,” Zoe said curtly.

She had no intention of wasting magic on appearances. She might need it for something more urgent later on.

“Let’s go.”

Zoe shot a look at Pat, but he seemed intent on avoiding her gaze. His expression was serious, and that was enough to worry her a lot.

The walk from their rental house to Nick’s All Nighter Bar and Grill seemed to take no time at all. They entered the bar to find the normal tables gone and two rows of chairs set up in a court-like arrangement.

Gram got the same vibe. Maybe it went back to their ancestor’s experiences in the Salem Witch Trials, but being called in front of this kind of tribunal was not a good thing. Back in Boston, their coven had deliberately avoided any setup that might mimic a trial. Instead they’d gathered in a circle even as they reprimanded Zoe for revealing the fact that she was a witch to a human.

Gram looked around nervously. “Courts give me the creeps the same way funeral homes give Zoe the creeps. I can’t even watch The People’s Court.”

Tanya sauntered up to Zoe. “Where’s your magic wand and fairy dust now?”

“I’m a witch, not freaking Tinker Bell.”

“I doubt that Tinker Bell could raise hell the way you have. And I’m not saying that in a good way.” She paused to give Zoe the once-over before adding, “Besides, you’re not thin enough to be a fairy.”

“Let me give her some warts,” Gram pleaded. “On her nose and forehead. And a few boils on her neck.”

“No, we are not stooping to her level.” Bending closer, she whispered in Gram’s ear, “We are in enough trouble as it is.”

“All right. But when this is all over I plan on giving her warts.”

“We’ll discuss that later,” Zoe murmured. “We need to focus on the current problem. Come on, let’s sit down.” She chose the two seats closest to the exit.

She recognized Nick, Pat, and Bruce as well as Neville but there were several other vampires there she did not know. Damon had once mentioned that Doc Boomer had a booming voice, so she identified him. She didn’t know the two vampires who had come to the house with Tanya.

“Put the two witches up front,” Tanya said.

“We’re fine right here,” Zoe said.

“When you are called before a vampire clan council, you go where we tell you,” Tanya said. “Isn’t that right, Nick?”