Grave Witch, page 9
"You don't think it was part of a bigger thing, them planning to sell Ty and Eir to someone?" Kage studied him, but his expression didn't change as he shook his head.
"No, they wanted Eir. It's good to have a healer when you're out shooting and stabbing people. They wanted to keep them."
Good to have a healer, perhaps, but what use did they have of Ty? "What about Ty? Eir was useful, but what's Ty's skill?"
"He can stab you with his hands, so they could've had use of him. Plus, they used Eir to convince him to do things. All they had to do was threaten her."
Yeah, it didn't fit. Kage sighed. "You don't think it's related to Rue and Chaton and how they were kept?"
Jagger shook his head. "No. They were humans. Vampires took Rue. Ty and Eir are registered. If I've understood it correctly, the guy or guys you're looking for hunt unregistered people."
Kage nodded. He was right. It didn't fit. "Fuck. I'd hoped for something to go on."
"How do they find them?"
"Huh?" Kage looked at him again. His gaze was a little distant.
"I only meant, the majority of supernaturals are registered, maybe magic users less than other species, since they're better at blending in with the human crowd, but the vast majority is registered. What makes them prey on unregistered individuals? Exotic slaves for blood bars, but how do they find them? And since they aren't registered, people assume they're human, which means the police will be a hell of a lot more inclined to investigate when one of them disappears."
Questions Kage had asked himself a thousand times. "I don't know. Maybe if we can figure out how they find them, we'd have something to go on."
Jagger frowned and turned to Christopherson. "Rue grew up in foster homes, right? Maybe it's a social worker, a doctor, a dentist, someone who flagged something as unusual."
"Is Rue young?"
"Yeah." Jagger rubbed his neck, but Christopherson shook his head.
"No, he's an adult. He's young for a supernatural, a low thirty-something, but he's not a kid picked up as he aged out of the system."
"So, most likely no one from the foster homes. What did he do after?"
Christopherson shrugged and looked at Jagger.
"No idea. Rue doesn't talk much, and we were all ordered to stay away. Noah is your best bet for answers."
Kage nodded, though he doubted he'd be let anywhere near Noah any time soon.
* * * *
Gilbert pressed Jacob against the wall in the bathroom stall. "Hi." His voice was barely audible, and his fangs throbbed.
"Gilbert." He spoke on a moan. "Please." He pressed his hard cock against Gilbert's thigh. They'd never had sex, Gilbert didn't get off in bathroom stalls, but he wouldn't stop Jacob if he wanted to.
"How have you been?" Gilbert spoke against the skin on his throat, and Jacob shivered.
"Terrible. It's been a crappy day, a crappy week, hell it's been a crappy year." His words were breathy, and he more or less climbed Gilbert.
He ran his hands along Jacob's sides on top of his clothes. He never undressed him, never made things too intimate. Feeding was intimate enough. "I'm sorry to hear--"
"Please, bite me. Make me feel...something."
Gilbert hid a wince. He liked Jacob far more than many of the loud, young people who had frequented The Virgin Drop, but there was something almost tragic about him.
"Relax. I've got you."
Jacob shuddered in his grip and tilted his head to give Gilbert better access. He blew out a breath, deliberately teasing the skin with warm air. Next, he ran his lips up his throat only to nip at his earlobe.
A moan escaped Jacob as his fingers dug into Gilbert's shoulders. Enough teasing. Jacob was a sure thing, and Gilbert was starving. He held his fangs on the pulse point and carefully allowed them to slice through the skin.
Jacob cried out but kept still, having done this many times before. Gilbert drank, the blood coating his tongue and filling his soul with warmth. He swallowed and swallowed and swallowed again. He wouldn't take too much, but he'd been starving.
When Jacob moaned and ground his hard-on against Gilbert's thigh, he pressed closer, giving him more friction. An orgasm was a small price to pay for a meal.
Jacob shivered and shook in his arms. Gilbert licked the wound, not wanting to cause him any harm by having his teeth buried in him if he jerked. Then Jacob's entire body tensed, and he moaned as he bumped the back of his head against the wall.
Gilbert held him to make sure he didn't slide down onto the dirty floor.
"Oh God." Jacob squeezed his eyes together before opening them and smiling at Gilbert. "I needed that."
"I did too."
Jacob looked down at his crotch and scrunched his nose. "Ugh. I have a meeting in about forty-five minutes."
Before Gilbert could stop himself, he laughed. He reached for some dispenser towels by the sink and handed them to Jacob who undid his pants and did his best to clean up. He was chuckling the entire time.
"It's a lost cause. I'll rush home and change." He looked at Gilbert, and there was a softness in his eyes Gilbert hadn't seen before. "I'm so glad I saw you today."
Gilbert nodded, not sure what to say.
"What are you up to these days? I miss not having anywhere to go."
"The Lighthouse is still open."
Jacob shrugged. "I've gone a time or two, but it's not the same. It's shifters, and while I don't mind shifters, you know what I like." He gestured at his neck. "I've been thinking about going to the new place in Wanford, but..." He sighed. "Driving two hours on the off chance of finding a vampire willing to do this with an old man like me." He grimaced.
"You're not old." He mumbled the words while he tried to understand what Jacob was talking about. What was in Wanford? He believed it was the butchery where they'd gotten the meat from before Jinx fucked the Oakmouth leader over--or maybe it was the Oakmouth leader who fucked Jinx over, he wasn't entirely sure. Either way, they weren't working with the Oakmouth community anymore.
Jacob snorted. "I turned forty-four last month. No one wants someone like me when they can have a hot twenty-year-old."
Gilbert studied him, and it was clear he believed it. "That's nonsense, Jacob. Vampires live for hundreds of years, a twenty-year-old is a baby. They might feed from them, but they sure as hell won't have any conversations with them."
Jacob was about to say something, but Gilbert spoke over him. "What's in Wanford? I only know of the butchery there."
"The Bloody Maiden."
"What?"
"A vampire bar. It's called The Bloody Maiden."
Cold slithered through Gilbert. "Is it a vampire bar or a blood bar?"
Jacob looked confused.
"Is it like The Virgin Drop, or do they have donors working there?"
"You mean like The Virgin Drop was before you started working there?"
Had Jacob been a customer before Gertrude bought it? "Yes, like it was before I started working."
"I don't know. I haven't worked up the nerve to go." He looked away, and Gilbert suspected he was blushing.
"Want to go?"
"What?" Jacob's head snapped up so fast, Gilbert was afraid he'd hurt himself.
"Want to go check it out? I need to know what's going on. I've never heard of it before now, and I think we need to know what's happening there. If it's a vampire-themed bar or if it's a blood bar." He could go and then tell Marrone what he learned. "We can go. Tonight. I can check it out and report back to my people, and you can see if it's somewhere you'd like to go in the future. Don't let anyone feed on you tonight, though. I drank more than I usually do."
Jacob's eyes widened, and his finger brushed over the place where Gilbert had bitten. "It's okay. I like knowing I could help you."
What a weird thing to say. "So tonight?" Excitement and dread warred in his gut. He'd go to help Marrone, and Gertrude needed to know, and if he could help Jacob find...something or someone to make his life better, all the better. There would never be a spark between them, but Jacob had fed him more times than he could count. And if they did this, then maybe, if he was in a lurch, he could call on Jacob for a meal.
Jacob stared. "Yeah, sure." His voice was nothing more than a whisper. "I should--" He cleared his throat. "I can be ready by six. It's a two-hour drive there, so...Is it too early to arrive around eight?"
Gilbert didn't have a clue. "It's a workday, so I assume people are there early."
"Okay, so six-ish." Jacob straightened his clothes. "We can take my car."
"Great." Gilbert took a small step back. "I should get back." He gestured in the direction of the serving area.
"Hey, what's your number?" Jacob fumbled to get his phone out of his pocket.
Gilbert recited the number, a little stunned by having two people ask for it in a matter of days. When his phone buzzed in his pocket, Jacob smiled. "My number in case something comes up."
"Great." Gilbert unlocked the bathroom stall door. "See you tonight."
* * * *
Chapter 12
Kage stared at the empty seats when they walked back to their table. Where was Gilbert? He glanced at Christopherson, but he didn't look alarmed. As Kage sat, he focused on the restrooms.
A woman was walking in the direction of their table, carrying two plates. One with a burger and fries, and one with what looked like falafel and fries. "Officers. She smiled at them and placed their plates in front of them.
"Thank you, Seula." Christopherson spun his plate a little. "Is everything good with you?"
"Can't complain. I'll go get the third--Oh, Gilbert, hi."
Gilbert nodded at her, and Kage let out a breath of relief. He was okay. He narrowed his eyes as he studied him. More than okay. He looked...so much better than when he'd arrived.
Kage glanced back toward the bathroom and noted the man in the suit slinking out and heading for the exit. When Christopherson tried to halt a smile, Kage gave him a narrow-eyed look. What the fuck?
"I'm heading to Wanford with Jacob tonight." Gilbert didn't look at them, instead he turned and accepted a plate from Seula with a mumbled thanks. On the plate was a huge baked potato with what looked like some creamy seafood filling with dill and a lemon slice on top.
When Kage looked at Christopherson, there was a look of surprise on his face.
"What are you going to Wanford for?" Christopherson stuffed some fries in his mouth.
What was in Wanford? Was it safe to let him go? They knew nothing about this Jacob guy.
"We're gonna check out The Bloody Maiden. Jacob wanted to go but hasn't wanted to make the drive, and..." He looked between Kage and Christopherson for a second. "We should know what's going on, right?"
Christopherson straightened, which had Kage's hackles rising. What was going on?
"What's The Bloody Maiden?" Christopherson had lowered his voice. Kage looked around, but no one was paying them any attention.
"You don't know either?" Gilbert grimaced but proceeded by putting food into his mouth.
"No, haven't heard of it, and I've been to Wanford. It's not our jurisdiction, but I've gone with Gertrude." He turned to Kage. "Remember your first day, the chaos in Oakmouth?"
It wasn't as if Kage could forget. He'd been terrified about being found out right there. Normally, he worked with humans. As a cop, you came across supernaturals, but he'd never worked as close to any of them as he did in Myrfolk, and that day he'd been in a car with shifters and had spoken with vampires. It had been unnerving, but dousing himself in lemon juice had concealed his true scent. "Yeah, I remember."
"It was about the butchery in Wanford. Or it wasn't what it was about, but it all started with a deal between communities." He looked at Gilbert. "I've been to Wanford a few times with Gertrude and Jinx, and I never heard anything about The Bloody Maiden."
"According to Jacob, it's a vampire bar. He doesn't know if it's a normal vampire bar or if it's a blood bar."
Kage stared at him. "A blood bar?"
"We don't know." Gilbert ate another bite. "I'll check it out. I'll let you know as soon as I--"
"No!"
Gilbert stared at him. "No?"
Kage's heart was beating hard. "You can't go. It's not safe."
Kage hated how Gilbert turned to Christopherson and gave him a look with raised eyebrows. Christopherson only grinned.
"It's much safer for me to go than it is for you. And Jacob is an...enthusiast. He'll be fine. I'll protect him."
"A civilian? No, I'll come with you instead."
Gilbert sighed. "Look, you want to know if there are blood slaves, right?"
He did, but he didn't want Gilbert to be near them. Reluctantly, he nodded.
"All it takes is for one person to recognize you, and we won't learn shit. If someone figures out you're a cop, they're not gonna show me the slaves."
"You think they care about a human cop? How worried were you about human cops when you worked at the vampire bar?"
Gilbert looked at Christopherson again as if seeking help.
"I wasn't worried, because we did nothing illegal. I don't know who owns the land the bar is on. If it's human soil, they have cause to worry. A police raid isn't good for business."
Christopherson took a sip of water before speaking. "How long has it been around?"
"No idea." Gilbert ate a cucumber slice. "This is the first I've heard of it. I figured I'd go talk to Gertrude after this, let her know what's going on."
"Good idea." Christopherson nodded.
"We're coming too." Kage would not allow Gilbert to go on his own.
Slowly, Christopherson turned to him. "We're coming?"
"Yes, we have to--"
"I'm not going. There might be people there who recognize me. I've made a name for myself among the police for being difficult."
"For defending community members! It's not a bad thing, and you can bring your boyfriend. There is nothing strange about Jasper wanting to hang out at a vampire bar."
"Apart from Jasper being a total introvert, and since he no longer has to pick up food at a bar, he wouldn't set foot in one unless he was forced to."
Kage stared at him. Did he allow Jasper to feed from him? His thoughts must've shown on his face, because Christopherson huffed and ate more fries. When Kage looked at Gilbert, he looked amused. Not something that happened often.
"Do all vampires feed on their partners?"
Christopherson shrugged. "Shifters are reluctant to let anyone bite them, but we don't have any shifter-vampire couples other than Chaton, and he was brought up human, so he doesn't always think like a shifter."
So it was a yes. Kage glanced at Gilbert. Did he want to have a partner he could snack on? "Do they ever feed on someone else?"
Christopherson stilled. "What?"
"Does Jasper ever feed from someone other than you?"
"Of course not." The crisp tone told Kage this was a topic to tread lightly on.
"It wouldn't be believable to have Jasper come along tonight to look for a side dish?"
Gilbert laughed, loud and bubbly, and Kage couldn't help but stare at him. He hadn't believed him capable. He looked so much more carefree than he had an hour ago. Lighter. Healthier. Was it Jacob's doing?
There was a tug at the corner of Christopherson's mouth, as if he too was fighting a laugh. Was it so unbelievable someone in a steady relationship would feed from someone else?
"Is a bite sexual?"
Gilbert shook his head. "No." He shrugged. "It can be. When done right, it feels good for the one who's bitten, and it's intimate, so if you're with someone you love, it's gonna be...intimate, but you can feed from a complete stranger and walk away with the same feeling as if you'd gone through a drive-through and picked up a burger." He nodded at Kage's plate.
"And you don't go through a drive-through if you have dinner at home?" He pointed a thumb at Christopherson.
Gilbert shook his head. "Would you leave the warmth of your home to go out to get a soggy cheeseburger when you have a prime beef ready to be eaten on the spot?"
"I resent being called prime beef." Christopherson waved a fry at Gilbert and got a toothy grin in reply. Heat washed through Kage. He'd never seen fangs on Gilbert before, and it ignited something inside him. He wished he could say it was fear, because being bitten by those fangs would mean having his secret revealed, but it wasn't fear he was feeling.
"All right, I hear you. Oscar and Jasper stay at home."
Christopherson gave him a look, perhaps because he'd called him Oscar.
"But I'm coming with you."
Gilbert scrunched his nose. "Jacob is driving."
Fucking Jacob. "Ask him if he's okay with me tagging along. Otherwise, I'll go in my car."
* * * *
Gilbert walked through the gate when Ylva held the grid door open, then hesitated. She was a wolf, so she most likely didn't know much about vampire bars, but she was a person in a leading position.
"Have you ever heard of The Bloody Maiden in Wanford?"
"I assume it's not a nickname for the butchery." She grimaced.
"No, I was having lunch with Oscar and Marrone." He held up the twine Oscar had given him before they left. "When I arrived, a man who used to come to The Virgin Drop was leaving. We chatted for a bit--"
She grinned. "I can see that. I didn't realize how worn you were, but you look loads better now."
He looked away, not liking people noticing. "Anyway, he said he'd been thinking about visiting The Bloody Maiden in Wanford now that he has nowhere to go here, but the drive is long, and he's never been, and he doesn't know if he'll like it, and so on." He didn't think he'd ever spoken as many words to Ylva before, at least not in one go.
Ylva was quiet, but her gaze slid over his face as if trying to read something from his expression. After a long silence, she spoke. "I haven't heard of it."
Gilbert nodded. "I'll talk to Gertrude about it."
"You think it'll harm us?"
"Maybe not harm us, but Marrone is looking for a missing blood slave, right? If there is a new vampire bar in Wanford, can we be sure it isn't a blood bar?"
