Chapter 2

Anais

Exhaling, I knocked on the door to Laura's house. I knew she was likely to still be pissed off at me, but I had to try. I wanted her to know that I was sorry, but I also had a high paying job and I was going to need at least one person as backup, preferably several. It was well enough paying that I knew even with the whole group we'd all make a decent pay day.

At least, this is what I kept telling myself. I had no idea if that's what they would think or not. I just knew I had to try it. Had to hope that they could forgive me and trust me again.

Laura took a while to come to the door and I considered knocking again, but instead I waited until she opened it. The moment she spotted it, her jaw set and she narrowed the opening again.

"I've got a job," I said before she could shut the door in my face. "A well paying one."

Laura paused, looking as if she still might shut the door on me anyway. After all, I deserved it.

"What makes you think I want to work with you again? I spent an hour last night having to be interviewed for the database to make sure I'd never empathized with the enemy before. You've got a lot of balls coming here to try and get me to work with you again.

"It's six months rent and expenses," I added.

Immediately her eyes went wide and she relaxed a little. It was all the opening I needed.

I quickly gave her all the other details I dared while standing on a street, even if it was after dark. I could see the interest in her eyes. She was considering helping me and it was a relief. So far this conversation hadn't gone exactly as well as I'd hoped, but it was going better than I feared. I was actually being listened to and that was something awesome.

The moment I'd finished explaining the job I'd taken she folded her arms across her chest. I wasn't sure what was making her so stern, but she soon looked me over.

"This sounds like one of those jobs you get because no one else wants it no matter how well paid it is. It's all they'd give you, isn't it?" she asked.

I frowned, but I nodded. There was no point lying. It was exactly one of those jobs. And it would be hard to pull off even with my usual team. without them it would be almost impossible. Maybe even suicidal.

"I'll run it by the others, but I know they're likely to say no. We're not that desperate and we're not sure we want to associate with someone who-"

She was cut off by a shout from inside the house. A moment later she stood aside as Monika appeared, chewing gum and dressed in very little despite the weather.

"Anais, I don't know what you think you're doing or what job you think you're offering, but we won't do it. I've just had daddy on the phone and already news of your little stunt has got to him. We're not going to be tainted by someone who sympathizes with them. They're scum that prey on the weak. We're here to protect humanity. There's no room for someone like you."

I didn't get to utter a single word before Monika practically dragged Laura back inside and then slammed the door. For a moment I didn't move or react. That had been my only chance to get the whole team on board and I'd blown it. Although it was more like I'd just never had the chance.

Walking away took everything I had, but there was nothing else for it. I wasn't going to beg and that meant I needed to find a way to make this happen on my own. As I walked back along the road, I noticed someone standing and reading a newspaper by a van further down the road.

It wasn't odd that they were reading a paper, nor that they were about. It was a nice enough evening. What seemed odd was that I could have sworn I'd seen the same jacket on a guy not far from the apartment I'd crashed at. Was I being followed? Or was I just paranoid and seeing things because I knew the guild was mad at me?

There was no way to know for sure, but I decided it was important for me to be careful from now on. I couldn't afford to make a single mistake. I was also going to need to work fast. The vampire my job was for wasn't going to be in Vegas much longer, and I needed to get close to him to find a weakness. I'm sure it was something I could do. The hard part would be not getting eaten along the way.

I also couldn't blow through what little money I had left before I achieved my goal. I had just enough money in my account I could book a night at the hotel in question, something I'd get back on expenses thankfully. And I had just enough cash on me to buy two drinks at one of the bars. It was going to need to be saved for the right moment, however.

I needed to work out who this guy was and I needed to get close enough to him to kill him. And all as swiftly as possible and without getting killed myself. It wasn't going to be easy.

And on top of all that, I was low on supplies. No holy water, not that it always worked. And no garlic. Just the cross I always wore around my neck and the silver stake I carried with me everywhere. That and my training would have to be enough.

With that in mind I made my way across Vegas to the location the guild had given me. He was staying in one of the hotels on the strip and spent a lot of time in the bar and casino attached to it. Pretty typical behavior for someone in Vegas.

It was a long walk to get there, but I had little choice. The buses would be packed with drunk tourists and there was no way I could afford a cab. I was going to have to hurry though. It was already getting dark and I didn't want to waste the night.

Thankfully, I knew how to get where I needed to go and I was willing to walk that far. One of the advantages to being regularly struggling to pay for a cab was that I already knew the fastest and relatively safe routes to get anywhere.

Being poor in a place like Vegas wasn't easy. It was a tourist hot spot. And that meant everything was priced to hit the tourists pocket. I couldn't afford to live like a tourist every day.

Some of the other slayers could. Most of them had a sponsor, or a day job they could fit in. Some of them had a wealthy relative who was training them up, just like I once had. And if I hadn't completely screwed up my last mission, I had been inching closer to getting a sponsor or at least some better paid jobs finally.

I tried not to think about it. One mistake would hopefully be proved to just be that. A mistake and nothing more. With any luck it would soon be buried under other jobs and not recently enough anyone cared about it. My parents dying in the service had once counted for me, the guild taking pity on me and helping me find my way, but not anymore. Now it appeared to hinder me. I didn't have their help to get ahead when I could have done with it the most.

The biggest problem was my lack of team, however. I was fast and I was gutsy, but I wasn't that strong. And vampires, well, they were extra strong. It put me at a disadvantage in certain situations. Most solo slayers were either all rounders, snipers, or had trained their whole lives to be as fast and as strong as humans could be.

I was none of that. Don't get me wrong, I had my strengths. My mind was sharp and I could read people well. But I didn't have very steady hands and that put sniper out of the question. I also hadn't been doing martial arts for very long. My parents hadn't been able to afford lessons when I was growing up. Not while also living this life. They'd done their best to teach me bits and pieces here and there, but it hadn't been enough.

Until I'd got myself into the guild, based on my street smarts and the scrappy fighting style I'd learned the hard way, I'd not had the money for lessons myself. And even now I turned up and paid for lessons only as and when I had the money.

It wasn't ideal, but it was the best I could do. And with every mission I completed and every battle experience I'd had, my prospects had looked up. But now that was all over. I was worse than back at square one. My life had been knocked back to the lowest point ever. Somehow I had to climb back up.

To do that, I had to kill Ludis Amadori. Amadori wasn't his official surname, it was the mafia don he was associated with. All vampires that weren't taken out by the guild swiftly were associated with one of twelve vampire mafia dons and every member of the Amadori clan or coven adopted the name Amadori. There was also something about an amethyst, but the records in the guild were vague on what an amethyst had to do with the Amadori family.

Normally the guild didn't take on anyone spoken for by the true blood families, and Laura wouldn't have been happy had I told her that part, but I had no choice. And I had to hope that the family wouldn't retaliate even if the guild suspected this was what had happened with my family.

I pushed the thought from my head. This was my path and I could either embrace it or run from it entirely. And I was no coward.

***

The hotel room before me was the cheapest they had. It was still reasonable. After all this was one of the better hotels in the area, but everyone in the know about vampires knew this was somewhere that welcomed them. Somewhere they often outnumbered humans.

I had gained a few raised eyebrows when I'd booked the room, handing over my card and barely hiding the sigh of relief when the payment had been approved.

I'd quickly changed, putting on the only outfit I had that was suitable for a hotel like this. Now I looked at myself in the mirror, my lower half hugged, by tight black leather pants, and the rest of me hugged by a black over bust corset. There was something about the outfit that was missing, however. There was too much skin showing around my neck and shoulders.

A human was asking for trouble with so much on show. And that was sort of the point, but I still needed to try a little to cover up. I reached into my bag and pulled out the black leather cord that held my cross on it. I tied it around my neck, making sure it sat in the middle. Something still wasn't right though.

After a moment I pulled my chestnut colored hair around from my back all to one side and used my hands to style it in place with a side sweep. It helped, but I knew I needed a little makeup to really sell the look. I was obviously human and I was going to need to look like I was some vampire's pet. Or desperately wanted to be. It wasn't going to be easy.

With slightly shaking hands I put on eyeliner, lipstick and blush, hoping that the lack of foundation wasn't going to be a problem. It was the best I could manage on my budget.

Finally I filed my nails, not that they were very long. I bit them when I was nervous. And that had been the case quite a lot this last week. I did my best with them, trying to neaten the ends and then I painted them a deep burgundy. It was a gorgeous color and I knew it would help draw attention to them and away from other flaws.

While that would hamper my ability to attack swiftly, it would help me lie more easily. And at least for tonight that was what I needed most. I had to earn someone's trust to begin with to even get close to my target.

Sighing as I looked at myself in the mirror, I opted to give up and get on with my task. I had the money for one drink tonight and another tomorrow when I made my move and I was going to have to make it work.

I made my way downstairs again, trying not to draw too much attention to myself. I'd arrived before the hotel and casino were as busy as they could be, but it was clear there was already a large vampire presence. I drew the looks of several as I made my way to the club I was hoping to find the target near or in.

Trying to hold my head high and walk with a confidence that would hopefully keep me safe, I made my way toward the bar. It was already a little busier than a normal week night, making it clear that more vampires were in town than usual, but for now I was being ignored again, just another human among the vampires they served.

Wearing the cross I was would make it obvious that I wasn't a hapless tourist, but aware that I was at least in some danger. I ordered my drink, handing over the cash I had and hoping it would be enough.

Almost immediately I took a sip of the large mixer. It wasn't my usual drink, but I wanted a big drink that I could sip, not something that could be downed or gone in a couple of mouthfuls.

After a moment I looked around, feeling comfortable to watch the crowds for a moment. Despite my fear, I knew I could get away with at least a cursory look around the room.

I didn't see my target yet, but there were other vampires I recognized. That was the trouble with having been a slayer for a while. I'd seen so many of these vampires on information handouts or occasionally on hit lists. I knew it would get harder and harder for me to use a strategy such as this if I continued in the business. Eventually my face would be as well known to them as some of theirs were to us slayers.

Slowly sipping my drink and trying to ignore the shifty look I got from the curious bartender a couple of times, I kept glancing around the room, but not lingering my gaze on anyone. Now and then I checked the time on my phone and sighed loudly as if I was waiting on someone and they weren't here yet.

I was almost an hour in, my drink was almost empty and my target still hadn't arrived. Exhaling, I realized there was not much more I could do if I didn't attract the attention of any vampire at this point.

I was expecting my luck to run out when I saw the vampire finally appear. He had two unturned women on his arms as he strode inside the room. One of the women looked more at ease than the other, far more scantily dressed woman. There were several male vampires with them, some of the men clearly there to protect Ludis and others encouraging and almost fawning over him.

Although I tried not to stare, I looked his way a few times, the group making enough noise that my attention wasn't the only one drawn. My curiosity was attracted more to the vampire following along at the back, however.

He had the appearance of a bodyguard and was glancing at exits and around the room as if he was assessing the threat and what he could do to respond. But then he didn't move to protect the vampire I was targeting, but rolled his eyes when my target, Ludis Amadori, declared he was going to go play roulette.

Instead of following, the strange vampire came up to the bar, heading to the stool right near me. Our eyes met and for a moment I froze as his gaze traveled down me. It took me a fraction of a second longer than it ought to have done to drop my head respectfully as my heart raced faster. Pissing off a vampire I didn't recognize and who might be a powerful one was not something I wanted to do right now.

He came up right beside me, still staring and taking in everything. I felt myself shudder, but I opted to lift my eyes finally. If he was going to stare at me I was only going to be so submissive. I wasn't actually looking for a vampire to take care of me and show me the bliss that came with being fed on, but I knew that pretending could get me closer to my goal.

The moment I took him in up close, my breath caught in my throat. He was stunningly handsome, dark hair cut short but framing a strong face, with a high forehead and a well defined brow. His jaw was set and his eyes were a deep brown that spoke of so much emotion I could have drowned in them. Combined with the blank, unreadable stare, however, I felt the appraisal of a predator.

This man was confident. And I got the feeling he was more powerful than many of the younger vampires, despite the group he was with.

"Get me a beer and get this brave woman another of whatever she's been drinking," he said, his voice deep, his accent mostly Italian, but not with anything regional. There was also a slight American twang to it. This vampire didn't spend enough time in either country to sound like he belonged anywhere anymore. In some ways, it made sense. His mafia don had most of his operations on cruise ships and in casinos around the world, unlike a lot of the other twelve who had more fixed abodes.

I inclined my head slightly by way of a thank you to him, my mind still struggling to get past how good looking he was. For a moment I considered if it would be so bad being a vampire's pet for a while. It was protection, a place to live and I didn't have either anymore.

Immediately I pushed the thought away. It was exactly that sort of soft thinking that had got me in trouble in the first place. I couldn't lose focus. I had a vampire to kill.