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  "That's very sweet," I said. "But I'm here with a friend."

  I nodded toward Alec who now had his hands on the cage. "Shit."

  "Well, looks like you need to choose a smarter date," werewolf said.

  "I never said he was my date."

  The siren was on Alec before I could reach them. The beautiful face melted away into a gruesome snarl, showing her fangs. Gills sprouted on either side of her face and her pale skin deepened until it was the same blue as the margaritas on the bar.

  She had him in her webbed fingers, lifting him by the collar and pulling him up so his feet were dangling under him.

  Alec reacted as any beast would when threatened, fangs out, he swiped at the Siren, all his lust gone.

  I stood under the cage. "Dima, let him go. He's new here."

  She glared at me, eyes flashing red. I took a step back. It wasn't often you saw a siren's real face. "This your vampire, Morgan? I should have known."

  "Dima, drop him."

  "I don't think I'm going to. I think I'll keep him." She turned her gaze to him and sang a quiet song in a language I couldn't understand.

  Alec stopped struggling, his arms fell limp on his sides, and his fangs retracted.

  "Fine, Dima. You keep him. Just tell me what I should say to Jimmy about where his new boy went."

  The Siren stopped singing and looked down at me. "He's Jimmy's? You're working for that thug?"

  I shrugged. "We all gotta eat, right?"

  Her nose wrinkled. "Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, does it?"

  Now it was my turn to get pissed. With a whisper, I cast a minor spell, then I reached into the air, and pulled, sending my magic to the door of the cage. It tore open, the entire door ripping from its hinges and landing with a thud on the ground.

  The music stopped and a circle of onlookers formed around me.

  "Come down here and say that to my face. I fucking dare you."

  Dima's usually calm demeanor looked a little flustered as she stared at the door under her. Alec was still hanging limply in her grip.

  "What do you think is stronger? Water or Fire?" My hands blazed. Heat spreading up my arms. I didn't even remember casting the spell, it must have been on instinct. Alec sure was proving to be a lot more trouble than I thought. "Undo the brainwashing you crazy bitch, and let him go."

  Dima rolled her eyes at me, then turned back to Alec. She leaned into him, pressing her mouth against his ears. Then, Alec was back to fighting to get out of her grip. "Let me go you demon mermaid."

  At that, Dima's face reddened and she threw him to the ground. "I'm not a mermaid."

  Alec grunted when he hit the ground, then rolled over to his back. I looked down at him. "You going to light me on fire?"

  Realizing my hands were still on fire, I extinguished the flames.

  Lyla handed me my beer. "This one's not the brightest. How is it that he hasn't been staked yet?"

  I shrugged, then took a drink.

  "Not even going to help me up?" Alec asked.

  "This is your fault. You do realize that," I said.

  He pushed himself to standing and brushed off his pants. "How is this my fault? I didn't know she'd try to kill me."

  Dima hissed from her perch in the cage. Alec jumped, then shuffled over to the bar, out of the Siren's reach. "Seriously. Were you going to warn me?"

  "Were you planning on shamelessly staring at all the women you saw while you were out with another one?" I asked.

  "Hey, you're the one who said it wasn't a date," he said.

  Lyla handed him a beer. He took it and drank from it without pausing.

  "Yeah, but there's something called manners," Lyla said.

  "I'm sorry, who are you?" he asked her.

  "The stranger you just took a beer from?" I asked. "You have a lot to learn if you want to survive in Realm's Gate. Jimmy hasn't let you out much, has he?"

  Alec's mouth dropped open as he realized the number of mistakes he'd made.

  Lyla stretched out her hand. "I'm Lyla, Morgan's friend."

  Alec shook her hand. "Alec."

  Lyla set her empty beer bottle on the bar. "Listen, Alec, Morgan knows a thing or two about how to make it in this world. If I were you, I'd listen."

  She took a few steps away from the bar. "You two have fun, try to stay out of trouble."

  "You know me," I said. "I was born for trouble."

  "That's for damn sure." Lyla waved as she disappeared into the crowd.

  "You have interesting friends," Alec said, his gaze on the now repaired cage.

  "Dima is not my friend," I said.

  "So, is Lyla single?" he asked.

  I shook my head. "You didn't learn enough of a lesson tonight?"

  5

  Alec didn't get a chance to answer because right as he opened his mouth, a thunderous bang sounded from outside. The ceiling above us shook, sending the lights above us swinging and swaying. A second loud boom and a few of the lights fell, crashing to the ground.

  Cries sounded from around us, and I grabbed Alec's hand, dragging him to the front door. About half of the people pushed forward, headed to the door to see what the commotion was. The rest were hanging back, apparently waiting for the rest of us to check it out on their behalf.

  We dodged around people who had huddled together. For a club full of magical beings and creatures of the night, there sure were a lot of timid folks. When we got through the front door, we joined the gathered crowd who had made their way into the middle of the street. At first, I didn't see anything, but as the ground shook from another blast, I saw it. Fire streaked across the sky, illuminating the night for a moment until it dissipated.

  "Where is it coming from?" I asked nobody in particular. Glancing around, I noticed that Jay was standing right in front of me. He turned at my question.

  "I think it's coming from old town," he said.

  As the sky glowed orange and the ground shook from another burst of fire, I looked to the sky, following the direction of the flames. My blood ran cold. The fire was coming from the direction of Jimmy's laundromat. I glanced at Alec, then without saying a word, we both ran for my car.

  I threw open the door and yelled at Alec, "Get in!"

  My foot was on the gas before Alec even had a chance to shut the door. There was no awkward conversation this time. The sky lit up, glowing orange. We were definitely going in the right direction. Whatever that was, it was near Jimmy's. If he was in the basement, as he usually was, there was no way he'd even know this was going on. While fire might not kill a vampire, I wasn't sure if whatever the hell was causing this fire couldn't kill him.

  There weren't enough people in this world that I liked. Jimmy was one of the few. And there was no way in hell I was going to lose him. As the fire crossed the sky again, I wondered if we were driving right into hell.

  There was still no sign of what was causing the ground to shake or making the fire streak across the sky as I turned onto the street where the laundromat was located. My heart thundered in my chest, and I gripped the steering wheel tighter. Thick, gray smoke filled the air, making it difficult to see clearly. It seeped into my car despite the windows being rolled up, making my lungs burn.

  I'd lived near a wildfire zone when I lived in the human world. Ash had rained down from the sky and breathing hurt for a week after the fires were gone. That had been thousands of acres burned. What could be causing the same amount of smoke now?

  Unable to see the road, I pulled over to where I thought the curb was. "We're going to have to walk the rest of the way."

  Speaking made my throat sting and I started coughing.

  "I'll go, you shouldn't be in this much smoke," Alec said.

  "No." I pulled my tee-shirt collar up over my mouth and nose. My stomach was showing now, but that was worth having some protection from the smoke.

  Wiping tears off of my face from my watering eyes, I opened the door. It was nearly impossible to see. I clicked on the flashlight
on my phone. It helped cut through the smoke a little. In the distance, I saw flames rising from the buildings in front of us.

  We were still a block away from the laundromat. I had to get there to make sure Jimmy was out safe. Running took too much oxygen, so I walked as fast as I could while wheezing against the smoke. After only a few minutes, I had to stop due to a coughing fit that froze me in place.

  The next thing I knew, Alec had me in his arms and hoisted me over his shoulder, so I was looking down at the ground. Before I could protest, he took off at a run. I grabbed hold of his waist to steady myself. He was faster than I would have expected, especially for carrying another full grown adult. Vampires were stronger than humans, but I didn't realize they were this strong.

  He stopped running, and from my upside-down vantage point, I could make out what I was guessing was a glass door through the smoke. Without losing his grip on me, Alec kicked in the glass, then set me down. "Climb through, but be careful of the glass."

  My boots crunched over the shards as I stepped through the doorframe. My heart stopped when I saw the inside of the shop. I stared right through the building. The back wall of the laundromat and most of the roof were completely missing. It was as if there had been an explosion. But there were no signs of fire damage in here.

  Washing machines were tossed all over the room. The countertops shattered piles of dust and debris on the ground. Glancing at the walls that remained, I saw markings on the wall that looked like claws. As if something large had broken out. What kind of creature could have done this? "What did you guys have in the basement?"

  As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I collapsed into a coughing fit again.

  "Nothing that could do this," Alec said. "It's like a monster was in here."

  I grabbed Alec's upper arm. "The fire outside. But it's not possible."

  "What's not possible?"

  I looked around the room again. This time, I saw the claw marks on the floor, too. I ran to the front door. The smoke was clearing and it was easier to see in the distance, now. A row of buildings was still burning, but firefighters were working on putting out the flames. The fires went in a straight line, but not in the way fire should spread. They didn't go from one building the neighboring building. The path jumped across streets, which shouldn't be possible. Unless whatever it was that made the fire was aiming it. As if it were breathing down on the city below. "A dragon."

  "Dragons are real?" Alec asked.

  "You're a fucking vampire. What do you think?" I snapped.

  Then, I raced down the stairs to the basement. "Jimmy? You here?"

  No music greeted me as I climbed down the steps. I paused at the bottom, looking out into the entertainment area. The room was empty, illuminated only by the stained glass beer-themed light hanging over the pool table.

  "Nobody's here," I said, taking a few steps into the room. "Unless they're back there." The door that usually remained closed was pulled away from its hinges, laying on the ground.

  Alec was behind me now. I turned to him. "What's through here?"

  "Nothing all that glamorous." Alec shrugged. "Kitchens, guest rooms for blood donors, storage, the vault."

  I winced at the mention of blood donors. That was probably the main reason Jimmy kept that part of the basement locked down. It wasn't legal to have personal blood donors, but I wasn't surprised that Jimmy would have them.

  Stepping over the fallen door, I walked into the darkened part of the basement for the first time. Using the flashlight on my phone, I swept it around the hall. So far, nothing looked out of the ordinary. There was a clean, modern kitchen on my right and on my left was an open door revealing a spotless bathroom.

  After a few more steps, you could go either right or left. On my left, were three closed doors. On my right, a steel door that looked like the vault at a bank. It was open.

  I looked behind me. "I'm guessing this is usually closed?"

  Alec nodded.

  I stepped over the threshold, half expecting an alarm to sound, but nothing happened. Someone had broken into the vault at a Vampire's lair. A thousand-year-old vampire. Whoever had done it was either very, very stupid or very, very brave.

  The interior of the vault was the size of a master bedroom and lined with steel shelves. On the shelves were boxes with clear, clean labels. It was like a warehouse of sorts. All of Jimmy's treasures. At least those that he stored at his place of business. I wouldn't be surprised if he had another vault that was even larger than this at his home.

  As I moved through the room, I stared open-mouthed at the amount of stuff filling the floor to ceiling shelves. Interestingly, nothing looked touched. Choosing a box at random, I pulled it off the shelf. The tape was intact. None of the boxes I could see were open.

  Alec had a box in his arms, then slid it back on the shelf. "I don't get it. Nothing's missing."

  "That's not true," a voice sounded from behind us.

  I swirled around, aiming my flashlight for the entry. Marco, Jimmy's second in command, stood in the doorframe.

  My shoulders relaxed. "Marco, thank the gods you're okay. Where's Jimmy?"

  "You broke my heart today, Morgan," Marco said. He took a step closer to me, his lips moved into a snarl, showing his fangs.

  My pulse raced at the sight of a vampire in attack mode. It wasn't something I thought I'd ever see. I backed up. "What are you doing?"

  Alec moved in front of me, blocking Marco's path.

  "Move aside, kid. This is between Jimmy's murderer and me."

  6

  "Why would you say that? Where is Jimmy?" Icy cold fear spread down my neck and into my arms.

  "I saw the video. I didn't even know he gave you the code to the vault, but there you are, opening the vault, stealing the dragon, then..." Marco trailed off.

  "What are you talking about?" Alec said. "She's been with me the whole night. And where the hell is Jimmy?"

  "She staked him, I saw the whole thing," Marco said.

  "That's impossible." I wasn't even sure how I got the words out through the numbness I was feeling. "Jimmy can't be gone."

  Marco advanced, and Alec lunged in front of him. With the back of his hand, Marco swiped at Alec, sending the younger vampire against one of the shelves. The shelf shook, and the sound of breaking glass and falling objects echoed through the vault.

  Chest heaving, tears streaming down my face, I stood motionless as the angry vampire stopped in front of me. "Please tell me he's not really gone."

  Jimmy had become my family. Him and the other guys, Marco included, were all I had. Breaths were coming short and quick, I stared ahead, not wanting to face this.

  Marco paused, the scowl fading. "You didn't know?"

  Alec charged Marco, slamming him against the shelves on the other side of the vault and with a growl, Marco threw Alec to the ground. Fangs showing again, the older vampire pulled back his fist, ready to smash in Alec's face.

  "Think," Alec said. "How the hell could Morgan even have the strength to kill Jimmy? There's no way. Even if she hadn't been with me all night, there's no way."

  Marco flinched, then pulled his fist back. He glanced over at me and his expression softened again. He let go of Alec and backed up. "You sure she was with you all night?"

  "I swear on my life, Marco," Alec said.

  I looked at Alec, then back at Marco. I'd managed to catch my breath, but the tears weren't stopping. "He's really gone?"

  "He's gone," Marco said. "So's the dragon you brought in today."

  Falling to my knees, I stared up at Marco. Someone broke in and killed Jimmy for the object I'd found. "He was killed for that curse?"

  "Not just any curse," Marco said.

  Alec knelt down next to me and rested his hand on my back. The tears were replaced by the anger rising inside me. I looked up at Marco. "You're saying whatever that thing was, Jimmy died for it?"

  "The thing you found today, was a dragon. You might have noticed the fire in the skies," M
arco said.

  "That's impossible." That was the one thing at which I excelled. Sensing magic. When I was a kid, I always won duels because I knew the spell the other mage was going to throw at me before they cast. And since then, I'd honed that skill going from estate sale to estate sale trolling for abandoned magical objects. "It was a curse."

  "In a way, yes," Marco said. "It was a cursed dragon. Trapped inside that figurine."

  "You knew that the whole time?" Now the payment made sense. Jimmy wasn't paying for a normal curse. He bought a dragon from me. "Was Jimmy planning on telling me?"

  "My guess is that he was planning on keeping it hidden and safe," Marco said. "Dragons are far too temperamental to be controlled. Men thought for generations that they could control the beasts. During the Fae Wars, they sided with the Dark Fae. When the treaty was signed, dragons were forced into the Dark Realm with the Dark Fae."

  I pressed my palms into my temples and turned away from Marco. This was my fault. I'd brought a dragon into Realm's Gate. It was destroying my home.

  Marco reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. Then, he tossed them to me. I caught them. "What's this for?"

  "My car is faster than yours," he said. "So far, I'm the only one who has seen the video. If you're telling the truth, you better find proof. I'll keep the vamps off for 48 hours. I can't do anything about the cops or the hunters."

  "You want me to run?"

  "I want you to prove to me that you're not a murder," he said.

  "How am I supposed to do that?" My mind raced.

  "What did Jimmy say to you? What did he tell you to do if you ever needed help?" Marco asked.

  I thought back to my conversations with Jimmy over the years. Most of them were about business. There was the occasional social function or wedding. Then, I remembered the day we spoke in his study. "James." The name seemed foreign on my tongue. I never thought I'd need the emergency contact that Jimmy had made me swear I'd use if needed. "His friend, James."