The Sweet Scent of Blood

I hugged him tight and calledthe magic.

The grey fog surged up and over me. I opened myself to it, inviting it in. It rushed through me, spiralling fast, whirling me into a vortex. I let go of Fi

I shattered the cage.

The spell crumbled into dust that drifted sweet into the air and I floated on a golden haze. Tiny perfect black pearls of magic floated with me.

Chapter Forty-Six

‘ Ge

Katie?

With the after-effects of the magic still wafting through my mind, I sat up, wobbled, squinted up at her. Mascara smudged across her cheeks, her hair hung in a messy ponytail, and her jeans and vest top were creased and dirty.

I frowned and rubbed my hands over my face.

Then I stared at the vampire gripping her arm. His own blond ponytail was much neater, his grin was full of fangs, and his frilly red shirt billowed in a nonexistent breeze. My heart tripped anxiously as I recognised him: the count, aka Red Poet, the leader of the fang-gang.

He looked at me. ‘Good, you’re awake. I am pleased it didn’t take you long to recover.’

‘You’re not the only one.’ I scrambled to my feet, my pulse thudding. ‘Only I have to admit to being disappointed that you didn’t get staked for real in the Théâtre du Grand-Guignol.’

‘Good,’ he laughed, ‘you have a sense of humour. Let’s see if you find this fu

‘I’m not a child,’ she sniffed.

Relief settled in me: she couldn’t be too badly hurt if she could still backchat him.

‘Talk, child.’ He shook her arm.

‘He wants you to be his Blood-Bond,’ she said, sneering up at him.

‘Let me guess.’ I bared my teeth at him. ‘Katie is my incentive? ’

‘Good, you are smiling.’ His grin widened. ‘I will enjoy spending eternity with you as my slave.’

‘Ge

‘She really is the most a

I looked surprised. ‘You do the lottery?’

‘Of course! Unfortunately for me, in my younger days I was more interested in having fun than in salting away a fortune for my future.’ He sniffed disdainfully. ‘You don’t think I enjoy being staked, do you? The pay is good, but it takes me five humans to recover.’ He gri

Movement caught the corner of my eye.

I stuck my hands on my hips and took a deep breath, pushing my breasts out at him. ‘So we’re talking what, exactly? Sex, blood—and what else is part of this bargain?’

He wasn’t looking at my face any more. ‘That all sounds good.’

‘Uh-huh.’ I frowned, stroking my stomach. ‘I want to know what type of sex first.’

‘Sex is sex.’ He took a step nearer, pulling Katie with him as he started sniffing at me like a bloodhound.

‘Now that’s where you’re wrong.’ I trailed fingers over my breasts. ‘Are we talking with or without magic? What about partners? Is it going to be just me and you? Or are you into threesomes? Foursomes? Girl on girl, what?’ I turned sideways and run a hand down over my hip. ‘There’re all sorts of things to consider.’

He licked his lips, almost panting. ‘Yes. All of that.’

I waved at him, to get his attention back on my face. ‘And what about getting staked for a living, are you—?’

His eyes went wide. He let Katie go as he lurched forward. Looking down at himself he touched the spreading wet stain on his shirt and opened his mouth ... but no words came out.

Katie’s face lost its blank look and she stumbled, falling to her knees at my feet. She crawled behind me, shaking.

Suddenly Red Poet jerked, his limbs shaking like a rag doll’s, and Katie screamed. I jumped, startled, as the vamp flew through the air and dropped, thudding onto the blue-rubber floor.

Katie screamed again and I crouched, pulling her into a hug. ‘Shush, shush, it’s okay, He can’t hurt you now.’ I patted her back, feeling her body still trembling under my hand.

Fi

Katie subsided into enthusiastic sobbing.

I glared up at him. ‘Took your time, didn’t you?’

He gri

Shit.

I dragged Katie over to him and slid to my knees clutching at his shoulders. He briefly opened one eye. ‘S’okay, just a bit tired. Go help Hugh.’

‘Is he all right?’ Katie hiccoughed.

I looked.

He was clear of the spell. Relief winged through me.

Up on the plasma screen, Hugh and Rio were facing off, circling each other again.

I smashed the end off the vodka bottle and held it out to Katie—as a weapon against a vamp it wouldn’t do her much good, but it would make her feel less helpless. ‘Think you can stay here and look after him, Katie?’

She took the bottle, and cast a wary eye at Red Poet. ‘He’s not going to get up, is he?’

I spotted the silver shackles. ‘I’ll make sure he doesn’t.’

She huddled next to Fi

I grabbed the shackles and fastened them around Red Poet. I sort-of thought he was dead, but without taking his head and heart, I couldn’t be sure, and no way did I have time for that.

‘Ge

‘In case you fancy a snack,’ I muttered, looking round. Something was missing—

‘Ha ha. I get it,’ Katie rolled her eyes and stuffed a couple in her mouth. ‘Ask a stupid question,’ she mumbled.

—Toni the witch bitch was gone. Fuck.I grabbed a handful of the torpedoes myself and headed off to the fight.

Chapter Forty-Seven

The Earl was waiting for me. His blond hair flopped over his forehead, as usual. His eyes were a solid blue, much like the floor. He’d removed his frock coat and boots and stood there naked, his white skin dull, corpse-like. And nude, that was really all he had that was worth commenting on.

Only I wasn’t going to be the one to tell him that.

He smiled his charming smile. ‘Bravo, my dear. Your removal of the spell has done the trick and now Rio is weakening. ’

A map of blue veins snaked under his skin. It had been a long time since he’d fed—looked like he’d been saving himself for me. How nice was that?

I stopped a few feet away. ‘What about Hugh?’ I demanded.

He waved a hand above him, where the plasma screens were showing a close-up of Hugh. He was bent over, hands gripping his thighs, his black hair dusted with red, his chest heaving for air. Trails of white silicate blood ran from his neck and over his shoulders. Beneath his feet I could see the blue-rubber floor, so I knew he was still somewhere in the ring.