First Drop of Crimson

“And hung like a stallion, he is.”

“Focus, mate,” Spade muttered.

Ian gave Spade a lopsided smile that told Denise he might not be as affected as he’d pretended, but what he’d imbibed had left its mark.

“Didn’t bugger the bloke against his will, of course, so I took a swallow from his thigh and that was all. Cost a fancy bit of quid for a direct taste, too, versus the bottled, mixed version Web sells.”

Denise shuddered. It would have been her exposed in that helpless and humiliating position for any vampire to bite or rape, if Black Jack had taken her to Web as he’d planned.

“How secure is the room he’s in?” Bones asked, absorbing everything without a change in expression.

Ian’s gaze wandered back to the TV before it snapped to Bones. “Hmm? Ah, very secure. Practically a bloomin’ dungeon, though more posh. Web blindfolded me so I don’t know which door we went through, but it’s in the basement. Five vampires in the room, one of them a Master. At least seven more Masters in the house, plus Web. And a bloody lot of silver weapons.”

“He blindfolded you? Must not have trusted you as much as you thought he would,” Spade mused.

“Everyone acted like it was normal procedure. Foxed me at first how readily Web admitted to having a source at his home, but he must reckon only his people know how rare sources are. If not for her, none of us would know what caused the bloke to have Red Dragon in his veins, right? Other vampires must reckon it’s a chemical Web makes and just injects random humans with.” Ian paused to shake his head. “Web is rattled about you moving in next door, however…and is this room spinning, or is it me?”

“It’s you, now continue,” Spade said shortly.

“Web kept going on about why you would up and leave your ancestral home. Did I know what you were about? Who was the woman with you? Right stuck on it, he was. He’s goosed enough that he might move that source of his soon.”

“Bugger,” Spade swore. He met Bones’s gaze. “It’ll have to be now.”

“Now?” Denise blurted, forgetting to whisper.

Spade came over to her and smoothed his hand across her shoulders. “Dawn will be here in a few hours so they’ll be winding down, off their guard as much as they’re going to be. To wait would be riskier.”

It’s too soon! Denise wanted to cry out, but she pressed her lips together and nodded. She’d never feel comfortable letting Spade walk into that situation, and if it was safer now, better now than later.

“They have cameras outside the house, alarms, probably the same inside as well,” Bones noted. “It won’t be a surprise attack, mate. Do you have any other vampires here strong enough and trustworthy enough to join us?”

Spade nodded. “One.”

Chapter Twenty-six

Spade strapped on the remainder of his silver knives. Crispin, Cat, Ian, and Alten did the same. The metal tucked away in leg-and armband sheaths or lining the holsters on their backs were the only flashes of color on their all-black ensembles. Fabian carried no weapons, of course, but he was going, too. He might not be able to fight, but the ghost would serve a huge benefit in another way.

Spade felt a surge of gratitude watching them. Crispin’s loyalty was endless, as Cat’s presence was testimony to. Crispin hated putting her in danger, not that his wife needed coddling. Ian, now that he’d drained the Red Dragon out of himself and drunk deeply of human blood to replenish that loss, was as lethally focused as ever. As for Alten, Spade hadn’t even needed to explain the circumstances before his friend agreed to help. Spade was grateful for that day eighty years ago when he’d changed Alten over. Alten would make a fine Master of his own line, whenever he chose to leave.

Nathanial’s tainted blood made attacking Web both easier and more difficult. On the plus side, Spade didn’t have to worry about the law against stealing another vampire’s property. Who would Web complain to? Not the Law Guardians, who’d slaughter Web the moment they found out what he had been doing with Nathanial. Web couldn’t risk telling other vampires, either, out of concern that one of them would report his activities.

In the negative column, Web wouldn’t easily let the source of his million-dollar industry flee out the door. Web was a powerful Master vampire. In addition to him, Ian had also reported eight other Master vampires in the home, plus other undead guards. The best way to ensure they got Nathanial out alive was a quick, brutal attack. Dawn would see blood spilled; of that, Spade had no doubt.

Which was why he had sent Denise half an hour ago to the docks. She’d wanted to go with them, insisting her presence was necessary because she was the only one who knew what Nathanial looked like. Spade countered that should there be more than one Dragon-blooded bloke inside, they’d grab him, too, but it made no sense for Denise to storm the house just to make an identification. He didn’t want to scare her by stressing how dangerous this was for them, strong vampires all, to attack a Master vampire’s well-guarded home. For all they knew, Web might have fortified his house with booby traps. So have Denise, still mostly human, go with them? She’d be killed or get him killed protecting her. Or both.

Spade sought to soothe her by saying he’d need her to man the escape boat they’d rendezvous to, but Denise saw through the lie, because she’d turned away in frustration. Selfishly, Spade hoped this was another reason Denise would welcome changing over once her brands were off. Being a vampire did have some drawbacks, but those were vastly overshadowed by the benefits, in his opinion.

“Fabian’s presence will be priceless for searches and warnings, but if things get dicey, Cat, that new pyrokinesis power of yours will be quite useful, too,” Spade said, strapping on a final knife.

She grimaced. “Yeah, about that…I don’t have it anymore.”

Ian’s brows rose. “Only a few months ago, you exploded an entire house and a Master vampire’s head right off his shoulders. You’re saying that ability’s gone?”

Cat looked at her hands and sighed. “Because I was a half-breed before changing over, Fate thought it was funny to make me feed off vampire blood instead of human blood. I absorb power from undead blood whenever I drink—and sometimes, that means any special powers the vampire has, too. Kinda like normal vampires absorb life from human blood when they drink. But just as vampires need to keep feeding regularly to sustain the life in them, the power I absorb feeding from vampires fades with time. So the pyrokinesis I absorbed after drinking from Vlad was only temporary. All my hands are good for now is throwing knives. Or doubling as sparklers.”

Spade digested that. “If that’s not common knowledge, we might still be able to use it to our advantage. The threat of you being pyrokinetic might be enough to sway matters, even if you’re not any longer.”

“You want me to bluff if things get dicey?” she asked in disbelief.

He shrugged. “If we’re in that much trouble, what’s to lose by trying?”

Crispin snorted grimly. “Let’s hope we don’t find ourselves in that much trouble, mate.”

“Agreed,” Ian muttered.

Spade glanced at the clock. Almost three A.M. It was time.

“Remember, the human has to be taken alive,” he said. Then his voice hardened. “But everyone else can die.”

Denise grumbled under her breath as she, Bootleg, and another vampire named Lyceum reached the Fontvieille pier. How stupid did Spade think she was? Oh sure, he was counting on her to have the boat at the proper coordinates of the Mediterranean. That was why he’d sent two other vampires along with her.

“You smell angry,” Bootleg remarked conversationally.

“How stupid does he think I am?” Denise blurted, out loud this time. “Oh sure, I’m so necessary here. Except for the part where I don’t even know how to drive a boat!”

Lyceum didn’t quite stifle his laugh. “I don’t know what they’re doing, chéri, and if Spade didn’t tell me, it’s dangerous. You didn’t really expect him to bring you? You’re a