House of the Rising Sun Read Online Free PDF Page B

disappeared under her fingernails. “Khell’s got his hands full, but you ask me? It’s his people to blame. I’m sure there’s a soft spot in his ranks.”
    “So someone’s getting greased, letting them in.” Bribes were as much a part of New Orleans history as the vampires, but Augustine had thought the new Guardian, Khell, wouldn’t have stood for that garbage. He didn’t know Khell well, but the guy seemed a by-the-book type. Maybe his lieutenants were dirty. Augustine shook his head. Maybe? More like definitely. Few people in this city turned down a bribe.
    Her odd eyes went a little darker. “Worse. I think one of them might be
bringing
the vampires in. Promising
La Ville Éternelle Nuit
to whoever can pay the price.”
    “Damn. That
is
hinky.”
La Ville Éternelle Nuit
was what the vampires called New Orleans—except they didn’t really know it was New Orleans they were referring to as the City of Eternal Night. After the witch had her heart broken by her fae lover and cursed the city into becoming a vampire playground, the ruling Elektos had been able to temper the curse with a secondary spellthat erased the memory of New Orleans from a vampire’s mind when they left.
    Now
La Ville Éternelle Nuit
existed in vampire legends, more a myth than a real place. Like Atlantis or the Lost City of Gold.
    Still, there was something in the witch’s curse that caused the city to act like a beacon to the pasty bloodsuckers, drawing them to the place over and over to the point that New Orleans had at one time seemed synonymous with vampires.
    Even in current times, the leeches managed to evade the fae checkpoints and bribe their way in on occasion. They might not understand why this place held such allure, but the draw remained. Eliminating the original witch’s curse would probably be the only way to break it, but so far no one had found a way to do that.
    “Told ya.” She emptied her bottle.
    He was only halfway through his, but he took a good swig in an effort to catch up. “Just one more reason I’m glad I never got sucked into that Guardian business. Bunch of hypocrites. You can’t tell me Khell doesn’t know what’s going on right under his nose.”
    “Maybe he does. Maybe he doesn’t. Just giving you a heads-up, I know you’re out and about a lot. You might run into one.”
    “I appreciate the intel. I’ll keep my eyes open.” He squinted at her. “You haven’t had any issues, have you?”
    She smiled, eyes glinting. “You know I never go anywhere without a reasonable amount of steel strapped to me somewhere.” She swung her leg out to rub against his. “Care to check the blade currently sheathed to my inner thigh?”
    He snorted. “I believe you.” He had a dagger in his boot but that was it, unlike the old days when he wore as much weaponry as he could, like the rest of his crew. Seemed it was a habit Dulcinea hadn’t broken. Wasn’t that unusual, really. Most fae went out pretty heavy, but he was trying to put that part ofhis life behind him for Livie’s sake. Besides, when you had the amounts of smokesinger and shadeux blood that he did, weapons were extraneous. Some days he wondered what Mortalis or their father could have taught him, considering he’d learned to master his skills on his own and with some help from Dulcinea, but he was already lethal. What more could there be? “Maybe there’s a bright side to these vamps in town.”
    “For real?”
    “Well, if Khell and the Elektos are busy with that issue, maybe they won’t care that I’m back.”
    She stared at him like he’d suddenly sprouted a third nostril. “Dude, you let a human into the Claustrum. They’re never going to let that go.”
    He sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
    “But,” she added, “they are plenty racked with this other business. Maybe if you catch a vamp or two, the Elektos would let things slide. You know, perform a couple of good-faith stakings.”
    He shook his head. “That’s