to frisk me; I had nothing to hide.
One of the other vamps frisked Jez while the demon present merely oversaw the process. Maybe they were ignorant or maybe they were just men, but nobody thought to check Jez’s hairpiece.
They didn’t hold us up with wannabe bad guy talk. However, they also wouldn’t let us go further until sending and receiving word from Lilah that Jez could enter, too. Of course, she allowed Jez to pass. Lilah had something concrete on me. I could bring an army, but as long as the bitch had my sister, I’d have to play nice.
We continued down the stone walk to the front door. There were no hellhounds to greet us this time. No. It was far worse than that.
Falon swung the door open. He stood there with a self-righteous grin that didn’t quite reach his ice-cold eyes. Dressed all in black with his silver wings flared, he stepped back and motioned for us to enter.
The doors slammed shut with a deafening bang. Immediately, several vampires flanked each of us. Again, a demon stood off to the side, just watching. I was beginning to think the demons weren’t there for us but, rather, for Willow or others like him.
“I am going to enjoy this,” Falon said. His smile had vanished, his expression now stony and unreadable. “Follow me.”
He turned his back on us, expecting we’d follow. What choice did we have? I eyed the fallen angel suspiciously. He was playing a dangerous game here. I couldn’t be sure if his loyalties lay with Shya or Lilah. Who was he here to help? His power would have a hand in determining the outcome of this little party.
Falon led us down a hall on the far side of the foyer, past the library we’d seen previously. The vampires were hot on our heels. I paused to give them all a once over. Unrecognizable, every one of them. I found some small relief in the fact that they were not patrons of my club.
At the end of the hall, a demon stood guard in front of a pair of closed double doors. He scowled at Falon but moved aside to let us through. Falon threw the doors open and strode through like he owned the place.
I hesitated in the doorway, peering inside. The vampires at my back shoved me over the threshold. I wasn’t all that surprised by what I saw inside. The fact that I was growing accustomed to demon gatherings was troublesome.
The room was large even for a small mansion like Lilah’s. The only windows were high up on either side of the arched ceiling, high enough to keep sunlight from hitting the lowest part of the room during the day. Careful design, fit for a vampire.
The hardwood floor shone as if freshly polished. The room was open with little clutter. In the center was a sunken circular couch. Several scantily clad bodies moved upon it, both men and women, human and vampire. They created a powerful energy that reeked of blood and lust.
I shielded against the onslaught of seductive energy. So, this was how Lilah enticed vampires into her fold. I had a sneaking suspicion the humans here were not present of their own free will but were instead victims of the vampire influence.
At the far end of the room stood three elaborate armchairs. Lilah sat in the middle with Gabriel and Juliet bound and seated on either side of her. My heart surged when I saw my sister, bruised but alive. Small cuts adorned her wrist and neck, evident of Lilah’s curiosity. Juliet’s blood hadn’t worked. She wasn’t a Hound.
Shya sat in a chair off to the side where he had an ample view of the entire room. Despite being bound in silver, he still wore his constantly amused smile. His grin broadened when he saw me, and a chill crept down my spine. Far too many demons were in this room for my liking.
I followed Falon around the couch, stopping in front of Lilah. Jez was at my side, tense but ready. Meeting Juliet’s eyes, I nodded, hoping to encourage her. She stared back at me, expressionless.
“You came,” Lilah said, crossing one leg over the other. “I’ve got to admit, I almost thought you might leave your sister to fend for herself.”
“No, you didn’t. But, why save her for last? Why kill Zak and Zoey?” I stared hard at Lilah, ignoring the demon that stood behind her but noting that Brook was not