Chapter 76

Chapter 76

CALLUM

T his was it?

Callum stood before the building, staring up at the sign, and frowned. Drink Until the Last Drop , the sign read, in bright red neon lights. Underneath was an image of a fanged smile, the teeth dripping a cascade of flashing red lights.

It was remarkably gauche.

Shifting from side to side, Callum couldn’t help but feel strangely disappointed. He’d expected something… bigger. Grander.

Steeling himself, he made his way toward the door.

A Wolf stood there, barring the entrance, but she moved aside with barely a glance at him, inclining her head as he approached. Her expression shifted, though, as Callum stepped forward to enter. She sniffed the air near him.

An angry growl rose in her chest, and she bared her teeth, moving again to block his path forward.

“You’re not the boss,” she accused him.

One day, Callum might get used to this constant confusion outside of the Vampire district. He almost laughed.

“I’m afraid not, no. I’m the other one. His brother.” He gave the Wolf a friendly smile. “I’m here to see him, though. If he’s around? ”

The Wolf looked him up and down once again before giving him another sniff.

“Boss should be upstairs, in his office,” she said, apparently satisfied with whatever she smelled on him. “Head inside, up the stairs in the back on the right, and follow the hallway. Do you want an escort?”

An escort?

Not sure what sort of escort this place might provide, Callum shook his head quickly.

“No, uh. I’m fine. I’ll find him on my own. Cheers, though.”

She moved aside, and Callum stepped into the club and entered a brand-new world.

Dear Goddess.

Now this? This was more what he had expected from his brother. The building shook with the force of the music, the lights colorful but dim, the whole dance floor coated in red. Sex. That was the first thing that came to his mind, as he looked around the darkened dance floor, eyes traveling over a world of bare skin glittering with sweat.

Goddess, was this how people danced? Bodies pressed together, grinding against one another? His eyes stopped on a couple near the stairs, two women who were pressed so close there was no chance of even air getting between them. And was her hand really….?

An uncomfortably warm blush rose on Callum’s cheeks, and he quickly looked away. Yes. Yes, her hand was really up the other woman’s skirt, and very busy from the looks of it.

Before he could take another step, a Demon with long pointed horns slid out of the crowd in front of him. He strutted over to where Callum stood, frozen at the entrance and held out a hand, beckoning him forward into the crowd. He licked his lips deliberately.

Callum swallowed, the noise irrationally loud over the club music. Should he…?

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, and Callum jumped. He turned away from the Demon, staring in surprise at the Wolf who had appeared at his side. The giant, impossibly massive Wolf.

“You the brother?” the Wolf grunted, voice loud over the music.

Relief flooded Callum.

“Yes,” he said, trying not to sound too desperate. Trying not to scream get me out of here, I’m in way over my head. “That’s me, the uh, the brother.”

“You still looking for the boss?”

Another grunt from the Wolf when Callum nodded.

“I’m Ferus,” the Wolf told him, tapping his own chest. “Follow me. Office is this way.”

Ferus escorted him expertly through the crowd and up the stairs, the dancers moving out of their way almost out of instinct. Thank the Goddess for that.

Callum wasn’t entirely sure he could say no if another scantily clad Demon tried to ensnare him.

The music got quieter and quieter the further they moved from the dance floor, until finally Ferus took him down a quiet hall, and to a solid wooden door.

The Wolf knocked and waited. Then knocked again.

“You got a visitor, boss,” he announced, swinging the door open and ushering Callum inside.

Callum blinked in surprise as they entered, staring around at the room. It looked like their father’s study.

“Thank you,” Callum told Ferus, shaking off his shock. The Wolf gave a final grunt in response, and left, shutting the door behind him.

Callum’s brother sat at an ornate wooden desk, a pen posed above paper, his brow furrowed. In another few centuries, he would be the spitting image of their dad, he realized.

“Callum?” Alastair asked, frowning. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“You always told me I should visit,” Callum said with a slight shrug. His eyes roamed over the room, taking in the shelves upon shelves of books, the expensive wooden furniture. And the Witch, staring at him in surprise. “Hello again, Fey. Always a pleasure.”

Fey sat curled in an armchair, a book in her hand. She greeted him with a smile, and it warmed Callum’s heart to see her here. He hoped she knew what a positive effect she had on his brother and what a blessing she was in his life. In their lives.

Maybe… maybe now, with the old deSanguine gone… maybe they could be a family once again .

Alastair’s soft chuckle brought Callum’s attention back to the matter at hand. “Are you saying that’s what you’re doing here, brother? Visiting my club?” He glanced around the office pointedly. “You’re in the wrong spot to enjoy it to its fullest, I’m afraid.”

“No, actually,” Callum admitted, feeling a little sheepish. He slipped his hands into his pockets. “I’m here on business.”

Alastair’s eyes narrowed. Gesturing toward the chair in front of his desk, he motioned for Callum to sit.

“And what, pray tell, would the deSanguine want with me and my club?” Alastair asked as Callum sank into the seat.

“Don’t do that,” Callum said, pulling a face. “Don’t use the title, please. You’re my brother, aren’t you?”

Alastair smiled, the barest twitch of his lips.

“If you’re here on business, it seems only proper,” he said.

Callum rolled his eyes. “And since when have you ever cared about being proper?”

Alastair opened his mouth to respond, but quickly shut it. His eyes snapped to the door, and his gaze heated. Callum turned.

Goddess …

If the Demon had been tempting, well… he had nothing at all on the Shifter who just strutted into Alastair’s office.

“Ferus said you need refreshments.” The Wolf at the door smiled. He held a bottle with two empty glasses in one hand, and another glass full of something red and covered in cherries in the other.

Callum couldn’t help it. He let his eyes slide over the male, his gaze trailing over every inch of him. The man was stunning. Suddenly, he couldn’t recall why he’d put off coming here for so many years. He should be coming here every night.

“Callum, this is Jasper,” Alastair introduced. “Jasper this is my brother, Callum.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Callum said, in a husky voice. The bartender gave him a lopsided grin, and moved forward, moving with a barely discernable limp. He set the glasses down on the desk and opened the bottle of whiskey to pour a drink for each of them. Still grinning, he set one in front of Alastair.

“Hope you don’t mind whiskey,” Jasper said to Callum, setting the other glass down on the wood in front of him. “It’s all the boss will drink, here.”

Callum couldn’t take his eyes off him. The muscles, the hard jaw line, the T-shirt stretched a bit too tight over his chest and arms. He was exquisite.

“Pick your jaw up off the floor, brother, he’s taken,” Alastair snapped. Then, turning to the Wolf, he said, “Aren’t you, puppy?”

Puppy ? Callum blinked.

“Absolutely, boss,” Jasper said with a wink.

“Don’t mind him, he’s in a mood,” Fey said from her chair. Jasper brought the final drink over to her, and she took it from him with a smile. “Thank you, Jasper.”

“Anything for you, gorgeous,” Jasper said. He leaned down to place a kiss on the top of her hair. “Do you need anything else?”

She shook her head, eyes already back on her book, cuddling deeper into her chair. Jasper’s hand remained on her shoulder, trailing his fingers over her skin lovingly.

Oh .

That’s new. Callum raised an eyebrow at his brother, a smile curving up his lips.

Alastair just sighed.

“Out with it, Callum. Why are you here?”

Right to the chase. As always.

Callum took a deep breath before he spoke, to steady himself. Somehow this? This was the hardest thing he’d had to do since becoming the new deSanguine.

But it needed to be done.

“I did it. By formal decree, just last night,” he told Alastair. “I shut it down, brother. All of it.”

Alastair went still. Callum wasn’t even sure he was still breathing. From her seat next to the bookshelves, Fey looked up, eyes narrowing.

“I can’t guarantee the drug trade in the realm will stop,” Callum continued. “But I can guarantee that no one in the Vampire Faction will be providing or selling anything. Not anymore. Not as long as I reign.”

Alastair’s face was a picture of stunned shock.

“Callum,” he whispered, voice heavy with emotion .

Callum held up his hand to stop him.

“It’s done. And I didn’t do it for you. And I didn’t do it for Delilah, either.” He took another deep breath. “I did it because it was the right thing to do. I don’t want, or need, your thanks for it, brother.”

Callum shifted in his seat, looking anywhere but at the other Vampire watching him.

“That’s not what I need your help with, though. I want…” He searched for the words, swallowing. “I want to help , Alastair. I want to help fix this city. I want that to be my legacy.”

Fey closed her book, setting it aside.

“Our faction has kept themselves apart from the rest of the realm for too long,” he said with a sigh. “It’s time we did something. It’s time we did something good for a change. Helped heal the realm, instead of… instead of just numbing it.”

Everyone was so still in the room, watching him. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable under their attention.

“Our family has money,” Callum continued. “More money than I know what to do with, as deSanguine. And I want to invest it in our city, in the communities here, but…” He paused and licked his lips. “I’ve been sheltered, living in the manse. I don’t know where the money would be best invested. I need… I need your help.”

He looked up at them, then.

Fey’s eyes were bright, a wide smile on her face. Even the Wolf looked stunned.

But Alastair? His eyes were so full of pride, so full of admiration, Callum had to look away.

“I think that’s something we can help the deSanguine with,” Alastair told him.