“He got what he deserved. No one cheats in my club,” Atonal said and caressed one of the women’s thighs, sliding his hand way too high in front of strangers. “You may leave.”
Okay, deep breath. Don’t back down. “No, I want to know where he is.”
“I owe you nothing,” the vampire said, his lip curling into an almost-smirk. “I am a powerful vampire, and you are a lowly witch with a few tricks in her bag. This was a one time courtesy. You will leave my club now and never dare to waste my time again.”
No. My heart raced. I couldn’t leave the club without Henry.
I looked at Beth. She looked back at me, a question in her eyes. Oh no, had she thought I’d run things from here?
I curled my hands into fists. Okay then. My friends had gotten me this far. It looked like I was going to have to put my big girl panties on and handle it from here.
People seemed to fear Karma, so there had to be a reason, right?
I wondered if my powers could be manipulated and focused, rather than happening when the timing was right. Narrowing my eyes on him, I muttered, “Tiny-dicked jerk.” A familiar tingle moved over my skin, and I felt a strange mix of horror and fascination as I held my breath, waiting. Not sure for what.
A second later, Atonal got a strange look on his face like he’d eaten something bad. His muscles jerked. His brows drew together in confusion, and then he gasped and his eyes went wide. Throwing the women off of him, he jumped to his feet, unbuckling his fancy belt faster than I could catch with my eyes before he looked into his pants.
“Turn it back!” he screamed so loud the people beyond the window, even some of the dealers, swung their heads around, looking for who yelled. “Now!”
Beth glanced at me in confusion. I was sure I looked just as shocked as he did. Had I really just…? Could I actually control my powers? And if he realized I’d been the one to do this, what would he do to me?
Especially if I had no idea how to change him back.
But then I saw realization dawn on Beth’s face, and rather than looking alarmed, she had the most pleased expression. Here I was trying to figure out whether or not I should be scared. The only thing I could think to do was to follow her lead.
With a snort, Beth pointed at Atonal. “You should be more polite. Emma here is Karma.”
Atonal gaped at me. His gaze ran from my uncomfortable shoes up to my face. I had no idea what he was thinking, but he still seemed disturbed by whatever tiny problem he’d found in his pants.
“I thought Karma was a legend.”
I forced a grin and crossed my arms as Beth continued. “The only way to fix it is to stop being a tiny-dicked jerk.”
Atonal stood staring into his pants for several seconds. “Okay!” he said in a high-pitched, scared voice. “I heard a rumor, but that’s all I know!”
Pointing my finger directly at him, as though that was how I controlled the size of his dick, I stepped closer. “What was the rumor? I can make it disappear entirely,” I warned.
He yelped and scrambled backward, falling into his chair. “It was rumored that Henry got mixed up with the sirens. That he owes them a blood debt.”
Sirens? Of course sirens were real too. But was this a bad thing? I glanced at Beth out of the corner of my eye. She looked pale and shaken.
The vampire continued in an emotionless voice. “And we all know that if that’s true, it’s doubtful he’s alive.”
Ice moved through my veins, and I felt like his words echoed over and over again through my mind.
“No.”
He looked between me and Beth. “I’m guessing Karma isn’t familiar with those beasts?”
“He’s still alive,” I said, and my voice had an angry note.
The vampire’s mouth opened, as if he was about to laugh, and then he glanced into his pants and seemed to think better of it. But I didn’t care what he said or thought. We’d faced shifters and vampires in my search for my brother, and none of them had managed to hurt Henry. I wasn’t about to believe that some fish had.
Beth tugged on the back of my dress. “Let’s go.”
“No,” I said. “Not until he tells us more. Not until he--”
“That’s all I know!” The anger in his voice made the two women beside him draw back further.
I glared at him, trying to think of a way karma could hurt him for blaming some sirens on this, and for saying my Henry was probably dead. But my whole body was shaking so hard that my teeth were chattering, and I couldn’t think of a way to hurt this man more.
“He’s not lying,” Beth said, after a tense moment.
“But Henry’s still alive,” I told her rather than asked.
She hesitated. “There’s nothing better we can do for Henry right now than go and follow this lead.”
I released a slow breath. Okay, if she believed the vampire, I’d have to have faith that my best friend knew what she was talking about, even if I hated the idea of us leaving this place without Henry. And in the back of my mind, I felt truly afraid for what it meant that my brother was with sirens: creatures that apparently the vampires and witches feared.
Nodding, I turned to go.
“What about fixing my slammer?”
Slammer? Ugh. Some men were just disgusting.
I focused on Atonal and chose my words carefully. “When you’ve convinced the magic you’re not a jerk, that will go away. And be warned, if you try to retaliate and hurt me or kill me or any of my loved ones, it’ll disappear entirely and won’t come back.”
He nodded vigorously with his hand on his crotch. “Understood! You have
