17 Too Close

I use my magic to quickly snatch my hand back and watch as Xander does the same. He shakes his hand out with a rueful smirk and says "Why are you so afraid of my markings? Are you afraid something will happen?"

I scoff at him and say "Not at all. Good night, Xander." I watch as his Alpha marks crawl back up his arm and settle on the front of his chest as he gives me a knowing smile and says "Good night, my little snowflake."

My face falls at his new nickname but he quickly walks out, leaving me brewing in my own irritation. I slam the door shut and find Binx watching me on the couch with a kitty smirk. "Don't," I say walking past him. He snickers at me as I slam the door shut to my room and get ready for bed.

~~~~~~

The next day, after stopping into the office and sitting through a few meetings, I head straight downtown to Ambrose's club. I normally stay far, far away from this place but my last few days have been anything but normal.

I've already started looking for somewhere else to move but finding the right place is going to take time. Maybe I should just leave the country altogether? Maybe go to Irland or something... I shake myself from my thoughts and walk up to the door that already has a line.

The sun was just setting but it looks like people were eager to party tonight. I bypass the line, getting a few heated looks, and stop in front of a large Vampire bouncer. I go to pull out my business card but the Vampire suddenly steps to the side and says "The boss is waiting for you."

I slip the card back into my back pocket and nod before stepping into the large club full of lights and loud music. The bass drops and I swear I feel my insides giggle but I ignore all the dancing bodies and decide to head straight for the bar.

I'm not the tallest, standing at five-five but in this crowd, full of high heels and runway looking models, I look like a freaking midget. I finally make it to the bar and pant like I just climbed Mount Everest. A Vampire bartender walks over and smirks at me while asking "What can I get for you, Witch?"

I pull out a five and say "A bottle of water" He turns and pulls out a cold bottle of water, twisting the cap open before sliding it over to me and saying "It's on the house. Boss will call for you in a minute." I give him a grateful smile and drink half the bottle of water before looking around the club.

I guess everyone knows that I'm coming... kinda unnerving that everyone seems to know me now when just last week I was like a ghost. I nervously bit the inside of my lip as I look around the already packed club.

Most of them were humans, followed by Vampires and a few other supernaturals but everyone seems to be getting along. "Boss will see you now. The second floor, to the right." I turn to the bartender from before and nod before heading up the black stairs.

Everything in this club was black and red with bright neon lights... I'm somehow not surprised. As I reach the second floor, I see several VIP sections to the left but I head to the right. At the end, I come face to face with the biggest Vampire I have ever seen in my entire life.

Not only was he tall, but he was also extremely built! He silently watches me walk over and come to a stop before him but he doesn't move. We silently stare at each other for a solid minute before the big guy finally moves to the side and opens the door.

I give him one last look before walking into the dimly lit room. Odd... Behind a large wooden desk sits Ambrose with an amused smirk. I narrow my eyes at him and roll my shoulders as I try to not think about being neck-deep in a Vampire lair.

"I'm sorry to make you wait but my last meeting ran over a bit. I hope you enjoyed the bar." He says slowly standing up and fixing his dark blue shirt. It matched his eyes... I lift the bottle of water and say "Thank you. Why don't you start by telling me about what's been happening."

He frowns at the water bottle before clearing his thoughts and lightly shaking his head. His smirk is back as he walks around his desk and leans back against the front of it as he says "Always about work with you. I thought you'd enjoy a drink at least."

"I'm here to work, not hang out. Maybe if I have some downtime, I'll come by and have a drink." I say with a smirk of my own. His chuckle makes me shiver as a mischievous smile crawls across his face while saying "I would very much like that. Let's start off with how many have been killed."

He pushes his long sleeves up to his elbows and pushes his hair back as he says "Fifty of my men have been killed in the last week. No witnesses, no evidence, not a single trace of who did it." Fifty? I've killed maybe ten of his men the entire time I've lived here so this really isn't about me.

My face draws up into a frown when I think about the witches dying in the same manner. "I now have my men going around in pairs but just yesterday, two of my men were killed in the same manner. I can't find who's responsible, the police can't do shit so I've come to you in hopes of getting somewhere. Maybe you can find something I can not."

My frown deepens when I realize something or someone is hunting and killing supernaturals... I wonder if it's just witches and Vampires or will they start going after the others as well?