in a few,” he muttered into the mic, then gestured at Luc, a lanky vamp lingering at the side of the platform. Luc frowned, his red eyes glinting in the dim light, but he jerked his head at someone across the room. Immediately, the room was filled with the music of a local band that played here regularly. There were murmurs and a chorus of unhappy sighs as Phenex left the small stage, striding on long legs through a crowd that parted quickly before him. They might love his talent, but none of them would ever make the mistake of getting in his way.
That was good. This guitar was one of his favorites. He’d hate to waste it on some asshole’s head.
He headed through an archway draped with heavy velvet curtains, barely seeing the ebb and flow of Amphora’s patrons around him. The place was nice, he’d give the vamps that. Justin, the vampire king he’d known for centuries, had taken a run-down old government building in the heart of DC and turned it into a marble temple dedicated to wine, women, and song. And bloodsucking, but that wasn’t something they put on the sign. Open at sunset every night, the sprawling building housed a nightclub, an acclaimed restaurant, and a beautiful, unexpected sunken garden. None of that was what interested him right now, though. All he wanted was the door, heavily guarded, that led to the lower reaches of the building...and then down farther, to the city of nightwalkers nestled safely beneath the nation’s capital.
Terra Noctem, the City of Eternal Night. It wasn’t exactly home—but for now, it worked.
He was nearly to the restricted area entrance when a hand fell on his shoulder.
“Where are you taking off to? You just started.”
Phenex turned slowly, eyes narrowed, and looked down at one of the only vamps he wouldn’t consider hurting. Unfortunately, Justin knew it. The vampire king of Terra Noctem looked up at him, one dark brow arched. To the vamp’s credit, he seemed genuinely concerned—not like he was just looking to yank his chain.
Phenex blew out a breath and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Justin was all right, for a vamp. He’d been a Roman soldier in the time of Julius Caesar, and both he and his sister had been turned by a vampire who decided he liked the particular flavor of their family. The two of them had, with the assistance of members of the other night races, created an underground, magically protected city that had moved various places over the years. The immense effort it had taken to make Terra Noctem a reality had been well worth it. Not only did the city serve as a near-impregnable fortress, ensuring that the night races would never go completely extinct, but the different beings that inhabited it had to work together to keep it. Amphora was a big source of revenue for the time being, but it was far from the only one. Werewolves, witches, Fae...they all pitched in from within and without.
And now, so did Phenex and his dark brothers. They’d paid a steep price for access—a blood oath that they would protect the city and its inhabitants had been required, insurance against the type of betrayal fallen angels were famous for. They’d had to fill the long-empty seat for the Fallen on the Necromancium, the governing body of all the night races, and be subjected to the occasional endless, mind-numbingly boring meeting. But they’d needed somewhere to stay, a protected base of operations for this odd existence of demon hunting and doing the right thing (albeit violently, and for pay) that they’d all stumbled into.
On the upside, the demons still hunting them couldn’t get in. On the downside, it was one more commitment he couldn’t get out of.
“Guess I’m just tired tonight,” Phenex said. Then he smirked, unable to help himself. “Maybe I’m getting a cold from your damn cave.”
Justin snorted. “It’s your cave, too, Phenex. And I wouldn’t believe you even if you could get sick.” The tall, slim vampire studied him so closely that Phenex fought the urge to just turn around and walk away. Finally, Justin spoke again.
“Okay, I’m not going to ask, because I know you won’t tell me, but it’s pretty obvious something’s been eating at you lately. I’ve never seen you take a walk at the beginning of your set before. If you need something, I’d hope you’d say so.”
Phenex looked at Justin impassively. What did he expect